Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere - Another Story
by Shadowplayer360
Summary: "That day started out like any other. Nothing particularly stood out. Everything was the same. I thought these days would last forever, but they shatter as they draw to an end. When the time comes, I..."
1. That Morning

_This is what I assume to be the first "Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere" fanfic. It basically takes place the same time as the original series, just with a few new characters. Don't hate this piece too much, and please enjoy._

"_That day started like any other. Nothing particularly stood out. Everything was the same. I thought these days would last forever, but they shatter as they draw to an end. When the time comes, I…"_

It was a day like every other in Musashi. At 8:00 A.M. a voice could be heard singing the song as the residents continued on with their daily lives. If you were someplace peaceful, and stood still to listen, for just a minute, then you could hear the song as it brought back nostalgia of the past. For some, the song brought happiness, knowing that it was a sign of peace. For others, it brought sorrowful memories of the past. However, unknown to all, the song today, signaled the start of a change to their lives…

"Hey!" a voice cried out towards a young man who appeared to be sleeping on the branch of a tree. The young man woke up and stretched his arms before turning his head to the elderly figure walking towards him.

"Hello President Sakai…"

The elderly man rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I keep telling you, you can drop the formalities with me…"

"Fine then…" the young man replied as he dropped down to meet with the elderly president face-to-face. "What brings you here?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing, Tsukasa Shirokage" he replied. "I'm not sure why you always come to Remorse way to just take a nap in a tree."

Tsukasa shrugged. "It's pretty peaceful here. I come here to relax and enjoy whatever the day offers. It's better than just staying at the academy."

Sakai grinned. "So is that before or after you pay your respects to Horizon?"

Silence fell in the area. No surprise coming from the man who was once known as one of the Four Kings of Matsudaira.

Tsukasa turned towards the gravestone. It's been about 10 years since the accident, but he could remember the news as if it happened yesterday.

"I started coming here every day since the accident," he said in a depressing tone. "I felt like it was something I could do to help bring that idiot some relief."

"You mean Aoi Toori?" Sakai asked, referring to M.A. Acadamy's chancellor and Student Council President.

"He wouldn't come by for 9 years since that day. He only started again after seeing that automaton a year ago."

Sakai scratched his head and grinned. "Ah, you mean P-01 right? You know that she probably only resembles **her**".

Tsukasa chuckled. "Maybe, but then again…" he unconsciously brought his hand to his right eye.

"Is there something you can tell with that eye of yours?" the president asked.

The young man grinned, knowing he couldn't hide the truth. Since the contracts he made several years ago, he had to carry an artificial eye to keep the two deities in check. However, it was a problem to keep both of them contained, so their powers would always leak out, giving him some unusual abilities.

"I've been able to see spirits ever since I got this," he said pointing to his eye. "I'd see spirits nearly everywhere I went, most of them were either vengeful, or felt like they need to finish something before passing on."

"Hmmm…" Sakai gave some thought before speaking. "So, Horizon's spirit is stuck here? That's going to be difficult to tell him…"

"Actually, I can't even see her spirit…" Tsukasa replied. "I haven't seen it since that day, as if she never had it in the first place."

Sakai made a serious face while turning his head to him.

"Then you think that she…"

"Who knows..."

Silence fell between the two for what felt like hours until the elderly man spoke up.

"Well, I need to go see Musashi and check up on the kids." He started walking towards the exit. Tsukasa followed, knowing that it was time to get some food.

"Don't mention our conversation to anyone, especially Toori." He asked. "It's probably better that he doesn't know about it yet."

"Judge," Sakai casually replied. "Say hello to everyone at Blue Thunder for me."

As the two of them went their separate ways, the young man couldn't shake off the feeling that somehow, everything was going to change…

_Something else I'm going to note, I'm not sure how long I'm going to go with this. So don't expect many chapters unless I'm asked._


	2. PE Class

_Got an of announcements for you guys. I'm introducing a couple new characters who were created by Raging Akuma D._

_Anyways, please enjoy the next chapter..._

* * *

"Ok! Class Plum-3 assemble! P.E. Class is about to begin!"

A young woman with brown hair and brown eyes calls out to the group of students near the entrance of Musashi Ariadust Acadamy. A devilish grin had spread across her face, giving them a slight feeling of dread, knowing that something troublesome was about to begin.

"Today we're all going to run over to Shinagawa where I'm going to beat someone senseless, so make sure you all keep up! After that, we'll start our real training, but anyone who's too slow will have to clean up the equipment rooms. Understood?"

"Judgement!" the class replied.

One of the students raised his hand. "Oriotorai-sensei, I have a question!"

"Yes, Shirojiro?"

"How exactly does P.E. and beating up people relate to each other?" as he spoke, a gleam could be seen in his eyes. "Does it have to do with money?"

A few of the students silently groaned, though they expected this from the one known as "The Miser".

"Shiro," his partner, Heidi, explained. "Sensei has been in trouble lately, drinking and causing mayhem for the people nearby. Apparently the higher-ups had scolded her because of it."

Shirojiro gave a slight frown.

"Isn't that her own fault?" he turned back to the young teacher. "So then this is supposed to be revenge?"

She waved her hand in disagreement. "Of course not, this guy just pisses me off, so I'm going over to teach him a lesson!"

"So it really is about revenge after all…" everyone thought.

Oriotorai took her custom blade from her back and began checking its weight while continuing her speech. "So, is there anyone who's absent for class today? Besides Miriam and Azuma of course…"

"Well, Seijun, the Chancellor, and Tsukasa aren't here as far as I know…" exclaimed the angel, Margot Naito. Her partner (and lover), Malga Naruze, continued while wrapping her arms around Margot's arm. "Seijun was supposed to have a part-time job, and President Sakai was supposed to meet her at around 5 later on, so it's considered an excuse. Tsukasa claimed that he had something else to do, so he said he sent you a note explaining his absence."

"He did?" the young teacher quickly scrolled through her messages. "Ah, you're right. So I guess he's off the hook, but nobody here knows where Tori went?"

As she spoke, a young woman with a notably sizable bust spoke out loud

"Are you all really that curious about my stupid brother? Well, he is head of our academy and the Student council President….." She gives a proud smile. "But you won't learn anything from me!"

Everyone looks with confusion.

"Because I, Bel Flore Aoi, didn't see him in his room when I left to get him for breakfast. And after all the trouble I went to cook it too, I just hope he dies like the dog he is!"

A girl with long violet hair tied in a ponytail spoke up. "Um, Kimi…..did you change your name again? I thought you called yourself Josephine just last week…"

Bel Flore(Kimi) grabbed her by the neck and shook her back and forth as she spoke

"Call me Bel Flore, Ayumi! I refuse to be called Josephine after that woman next door gave that same name to her new dog!"

The shrine maiden, Asama, quickly intervened between the two.

"S-Stop it, both of you! You shouldn't fight like this! Kazu, can't you please do something!"

A tall student with a dark blue bandanna was seen leaning against the edge of the bridge, yawning with an uninterested look on his face.

"Why? It's not like they'll die from something like this…"

"But aren't you and Ayumi, well…close?"

"Yeah, but I don't really think that really matters in something like this…"

Asama drops her head in despair. Meanwhile, Orotorai continues talking as if nothing happened.

"So nobody knows where Tori went, but I guess that figures for the one called 'Impossible'. The Testament Union did want someone easy to handle, so that's why he was chosen."

"Yeah, for about 160 years now, we've been pretty much forced into serving the Divine states." another student, Neshinbara, continued. "Even though they were originally ours to start with, it doesn't really help that we're always moving, and there's an age limit to when we have to graduate now…"

"Basically, we're being oppressed, so what are you all gonna do about it?"

Everyone readied themselves for what was about to come next.

"Listen up, if you think you have the talent and the will to go on, then you better show me right now! Anyone who can hit me once before I get to the end will get five free passes for class! In other words, you can ditch class up to five times!"

"Sensei!" The ninja, Tenzo, raised his hand as he spoke. "What exactly do you mean by 'hit'?"

"I don't really care how you call it, use your own judgment."

"Then, does that mean we don't score if we 'accidentally' touch 'certain parts'?"

"In addition, are there 'bonus points' if we hit 'certain parts'?" The dragoon, Urquiaga, also asked

"Also, would it be a problem if we were to give a fatal shot to anywhere on your body?" Ayumi questioned while smiling.

"Do you all want to die before we even start?"

The three of them flinched as the "Amazon woman" prepared for her run.

"Well then," she jumps from the top of the stairs "Let the class begin!"

* * *

An automaton, in the appearance of a young girl with silver hair, stood behind the counter. As she stares blankly into the empty seats in the store, the bell rings, and she looks up to see the figure standing at the doorway…

* * *

_ I'm going to do an action scene at some point later, but I don't plan to do the chase scene. If you want the chase scene(Orotorai-sensei vs. class Plum-3), then let me know, and I'll consider it._


	3. The Lesson

"Come on, are you all exhausted already?"

Class Plum-3 was seen on the ground exhausted, except for a blind student named Suzu, and Kazu who was only slightly out of breath.

"So I guess Suzu and Kazu are the only ones who are 'alive' then…"

"Huh? Uh, um, I s-suppose…" Suzu stuttered. "b-but I-I was carried t-the whole w-way…."

"It's fine Suzu," Kazu said. "I don't think you did anything wrong. You're lucky you didn't have to run…."

"He's right," Orotorai explained. "It still counts as teamwork, so you're not in trouble. Anyways…."

The doors behind her open as a giant, red horned fiend appears with a menacing look on its face.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE ALL YOU MORONS DOING HERE?!"

"Ok everyone, pay attention! This lesson is on how to attack an Archdemon."

Everyone struggled to look up as their teacher calmly stepped up towards the giant.

"Hey, do you remember kicking me out of my home last month?"

"HUH?! I CAN'T REMEMBER EVERY SINGLE DAMN TIME I DID SOMETHING TRIVIAL LIKE THAT!"

"Then that's going to be a problem, you're going to hit the ground and you won't even know why…."

The agitated archdemon roared before taking a swing with his right arm towards the young teacher. She gracefully dodges the strike and takes her sword.

"You see class, even the most clueless of all living things has a brain in their body, and the most efficient way to beat them is to rattle that brain!"

She jumps over the fiend and continues as she raises her sword.

"And in this case, you should attack HERE!"

She strikes the horn on the right, making the giant stop suddenly with a blank look on his face.

(The scene that came next is too disturbing for words, so I'll leave that to your imagination)

The Archdemon was left on the ground in a…indescribable state, while the teacher sheathed her weapon. "Next, we'll…."

"Hey! What's going on here?"

Everyone turned towards the source of the cheerful voice and saw their chancellor/president, Tori Aoi, with a piece of bread in his hand, and a package in his arm.

Tori walked up to Oriotorai while finishing his bread and greeting everyone cheerfully, as if he didn't know how much trouble he was in. "Sorry about that everyone, but I just needed to leave early to get in line."

"Well then, why don't you tell us why you were in line instead of class?" His slightly annoyed teacher said.

"Well, it's because I wanted to get** this** before it sold out!" As he spoke, he unwrapped the package to reveal... an erotic game.

"This was one of the most popular games on the market, so I really needed to get there early, especially to get the limited edition version! I plan to finish it in one day while ****** my **** and also ***** during the *****scenes!"

Orotorai (who at this point was reaching her limit of patience), grabbed Tori's shoulder while speaking as calmly as she could. "Damnit Tori! Do you have any idea what I'm thinking right now?!"

"Of course I do, I always know what you're thinking!"

"Oh really? Because if you did, then you'd know that you'd commit suicide right now! "

"What?! I thought you were thinking something more like 'Go ahead and touch my breasts'!"

"You idiot, what the hell goes on in that damn mind of yours?!"

"Well, this for one thing…." As he spoke, Tori grabs her breasts and begins fondling them for a bit, leaving his teacher dumbstruck and most of the students terrified while leaving some to question whether or not that counted as a "hit".

"Anyways, I've got something important to tell you all…." He turned to face the rest of his classmates, but was struck with a sharp kick from his teacher before he could continue. He flew past the buildings and across the fields until he finally smashed into a wall, and falling unconscious from the strike.

Everyone sighed as they all started to head back to their classroom. "Are we really going to be alright with him as our leader?"

* * *

_Akuma, if you're worried about your characters, then don't worry, I'm planning to give them a bit more depth soon._


	4. Blue Thunder

P-01s began dusting outside the entrance of the shop "Blue Thunder", when a figure suddenly fainted nearby. The automaton turned to see the face of the fallen student before setting the broom against the wall and heading inside.

"Excuse me master, it looks like Masazumi Honda-sama is dying of hunger…"

* * *

"Thank you for the food…"

The owner of the shop came to Masazumi with a glass of water while sighing.

"Geez, starving yourself to death isn't funny you know. You should probably get a better part-time job to feed yourself."

She chugged the water into her throat before replying.

"Sorry about this."

"It's fine, you're welcome to come over anytime…"

The owner took away the plates and started walking towards the storage room.

"So, do you have any work for the Student Council today?"

"Yes, as Vice President, I need to accompany President Sakai to Mikawa's checkpoint." The student's face turned slightly sad. "But before that, I'd like to go see my mother's grave…"

"I see…"

The owner returned with a couple small sacks of food and sat down across Masazumi.

"Speaking of the student council, didn't you want to run for President instead?"

"Well, I thought it would've been better if Aoi went ahead and took the position. I've only been here for about a year since we moved from Mikawa, so I thought he would be more understanding towards everyone since he was born here."

The owner smiled. "But he's always been an idiot."

"Even so…"

A lunch sack was handed over to Masazumi. "Take this; I used to give these to the kids back when they would come by every day after class."

"Huh? Everyone?"

"Yes, although Tori wouldn't come for almost a decade, until last year. It was around the same time I picked up that automaton with a citizen ID." She pointed to P-01s who continued sweeping the entrance. "To be honest, I think he's in love…"

"He's in love with that automaton?! Doesn't he know there are limits…."

"Don't you hate Tori? Why would you care about his interests?"

"Well, it's not that I hate him…"

"Then are you in love?"

The usually calm vice president's face turned slightly pink from the sudden question.

"N-No! Of course not! I'm not interested in that kind of thing anymore!"

The owner gave an interested look. "Oh, so you used to?"

The student blushed at the reply. "W-Well, I used to date someone, but i-it didn't really work out." Out of embarrassment, the subject was quickly changed. "Uh, w-what's that other sack for?"

"Hm? Oh this one. Well, someone else also seemed interested in that automaton..."

Before she could finish, another student came from the back room while taking off a pair of gloves.

"Ok, I've finished setting everything in the storage room….Masazumi?"

The vice-president was slightly shocked. "Shirokage? " She shook her head with a disappointed look. "I thought you were better than this…"

Tsukasa gave a confused look. "What are you talking about? Is it a problem that I work here?"

"Oh! I thought….um….n-nevermind…"

He sighed before setting the gloves on the counter and walked over towards a seat next to the window to rest.

"He's been coming by every day before, but recently he has been asking for a part-time job here, so I went ahead and hired him. He's been staring at her every once in a while, but I'm pretty sure he's not attracted to her in anyway."

"_Is there something strange about P-01s?_" the politician-in-training thought while watching.

"Anyways, if you want to get closer to everyone else in class, you should probably go through Remorse Way. You might find the truth that's been hidden from you."

"Remorse Way…"

The two stood up before heading out the door.

"Oh, Shirokage, can you tell everyone that I'm sorry about missing class today?"

Tsukasa lazily raised his hand without turning his head. "Judge…"

As she left, Masazumi began thinking about what she just heard.

"_You might find the truth that's been hidden from you…"_

"_But the truth to what exactly?"_


	5. History Class

"So in today's history lesson, we're going to go over the Harmonic Unification war."

A girl with cream brown hair and a flower hair band gave a confused look. "Um, the harom…unit….what?"

"Harmonic Unification War, Kuina." Neshinbara sighed. " Basically how did everyone screw up to make us where we are now…"

"Correct, so then…" Orotorai quickly scanned the room. "Suzu, I'd like you to take over the lesson today."

"Uh..O-Ok…" Suzu opened a screen and began to go through her review.

_A long time ago, the Divine states in the real world, and their copy, the Harmonic Divine States, existed separately. The people from the Divine States lived in what was known as the original world, and people from other countries lived in the Harmonic Divine States in the other world…_

"Um…er…"

"You're doing fine, don't worry about it."

"Hey, Suzu!" Tori interrupted. "Don't worry about screwing up. I'll take responsibility for your mistakes." He held up a piece of paper. "It's fine, I don't plan on dying until I get through the first part of my new game!"

"Don't talk about dying like it's a joke. And anyways, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU FILLING OUT THAT FORM?!"

"C'mon teach, I just want to take advantage of the opportunity here..."

"Hey, idiot, can't you shut up? I'm trying to work here."

"Um, Shiro, you know we're also in class…"

"Strange, there aren't any orders from Mikawa…"

"Hey, Malga, about the name you have here…"

"I think it needs to be more like this…"

"Hmm…This outfit looks nice…"

"I wonder what I should have for dinner…"

"Can't you all focus right now? Don't worry Suzu, I'm listening."

"Huh? Uh…well…"

"Don't worry, if you need, I can hold your hand for support!"

"Hey Kazu, this isn't the time to be flirting!"

"Don't worry Ayumi, you're still close to me."

"You….You…YOU TAINTED FREAK!"

"Everyone shut up, I'm trying to work on my manuscript…"

At this point, very few people seemed to be listening, but eventually the commotion died down for Orotorai to take back control of the class.

"It doesn't look like we'll get anywhere at this rate…" she sighed while shaking her head. "Asama, can you take over for her?"

"Huh? Yes…"

Suzu sent her screen to Asama, who proceeded to read through as the words were typed up in front of her.

_Starting with the Nanboku-cho Wars, the war carried on in the part of the Far East known as the Divine States between two imperial courts. In 1412, the Testament Era, the sacred instruments used to support the tectonic plates vanished, causing the Divine States to start crashing down. Over half of the world was destroyed in the process. The remaining parts were either relocated or combined with our Divine States. As such, patches of the Harmonic Divine State' land are interspersed throughout the Divine States. Those who lived in the Harmonic Divine States came to the Divine States, blaming them for the tragedy that occurred, creating a war between them._

"That, was the Harmonic Unification war."

"Right!" Their teacher exclaimed while closing her book. "In short, the Divine States were blamed for ruining the Harmonic Divine States.

"I see…" Ayumi scribbled something in her notes.

"Now then, Tori, about your punishment…"

Tori gave a confused look.

"In my class, you get points for answering questions, and lose points for incorrect or empty answers. Suzu was close, but it was 1413, not 1412. Everything else was fine, so she didn't lose any points. Not that she got any since it was a review. However, a certain idiot told me that I could punish him even if she got it wrong."

She took out a book filled with notes about punishments Tori had personally listed for her.

"So about this month's punishment…"

* * *

"I can't believe that nobody has come to greet you on your return."

An elderly man with a flashy appearance, and a young boy with long black hair were walking along the hallways through the academy.

"I-It's ok father, the testament said that I shouldn't really stand out."

At that moment, Tsukasa came through the halls heading for class when he spotted the two.

"Yo, Azuma. I see you came back."

"Oh, Shirokage-san. Yes, it's been a while."

"You impudent fool! Don't you know that you're speaking to the son of Musashi's Emperor?!" the man spoke as he pointed his finger at the student.

"No, it's ok Father. I don't really mind…"

As they spoke, an undistinguishable noise was coming from Plum-3.

"What's going on in there?" The emperor began walking towards the classroom.

"Wait, isn't today…. Um, excuse me, I don't think that's a good ide….."

Before he could finish, the Emperor forcefully slid the door open to find a disturbing sight. Tori Aoi was in front of the class completely naked(and proud). Orotorai noticed the sudden appearance and quickly shut the door. Tori's voice could be heard for a moment before the noise of shuffling came through the door, a crash, and finally, a scream that came from the classroom nearby. Orotorai quickly opened and closed the door and started edging towards the other classroom.

"Oh, hey! We're, uh, just in the middle of class right now. Tsukasa, take Azuma to the teacher's lounge and wait with him there."

Azuma left his father(who was frozen in shock) and followed his classmate to the teacher's lounge. On the way there, however, he wondered what exactly happened prior to their arrival

* * *

_I'm still taking in original characters anyone wants to add in. Maybe for the next few chapters or so. It also helps to send any reviews on how I'm doing to far. Anyways, I'll try to get the next chapter in at some point..._


	6. Entering Mikawa

** _Sorry about waiting. I've been pretty busy last week, and I think I'll be kinda busy this week too. Anyways, here's the next chapter..._**

* * *

Masazumi had just finished climbing the stairway towards her mother's gravestone. As she stopped to catch her breath, she turned to take in the magnificent sight of Mushashi.

"_It's already been about a year…"_

As she turned towards the graves, she noticed a figure squatting nearby. Looking closely, she noticed that the figure had silver-hair and appeared to be wearing an apron.

"P-01s?"

* * *

"I don't see why we need to come all the way up here…" Kazu groaned as he started walking up the steps. "Why can't we just ask Naruze to help us out?"

"Because, Margot and Naruze are going to be in that air race you know, so they need to finish up their jobs." Ayumi moved closer to Kazu as she followed him to the top. "Besides, isn't it kinda nice just being together like this?"

As they reached the top, they saw a couple of figures up ahead. Although they couldn't tell who they were from a distance, Ayumi began to drag Kazu over to greet them.

"Hello, how are yo….."

She stopped halfway, realizing the identity of the closer of the two. Kazu struggled to free himself from her grip.

"Hey Ayumi, what the heck are you…!"

His eyes stared directly towards the same figure as Ayumi. The figure turned her head and paused for a moment.

"Kazu…"

"Masazumi…."

* * *

"Huh, so you and Kazu used to know each other?"

Ayumi leaned against the railing while watching Masazumi pulling weeds nearby a gravestone.

"Well, we…um… used to…go out …" Mazasumi blushed at the memories while continuing her work.

"Hmmmm…." Ayumi glanced at the gravestone. She couldn't make out all the words from where she stood, but she could read "Honda" as a last name. Perhaps it was a relative?

"B-But we didn't really think it would work out, so we just sort of went apart!"

She turned to look at Kazu, who was leaning against a tree and staring at the ground. Maybe he was in deep thought, but it was hard to tell.

Ayumi sighed. "Well then, what is P-01s doing here?"

"I come here at around this time to sweep the grounds. It has become a part of my routine."

As it spoke, P-01s took the all weeds that were gathered, and brought it over to an opening to the sewer line. It left the plants to the black, wet objects that jumped up from the opening.

"Kuromo Algae…"

These creatures often lived in the sewers, purifying the waters by absorbing wastes that would appear mixed in with the liquids. However, very few would actually come out like the ones that just did.

"Are we ok?" one of them asked. "Are we clear? Did we get busted?"

"All is well." P-01s replied while giving a thumbs up. "We're clear, we aren't busted."

"They're so busted…" the two thought.

"Oh right, what are the two of you doing here?"

"Huh?" Ayumi regained her senses and turned to face Masazumi. "Well…"

* * *

_During class..._

"Everyone listen up!" Tori stood in front of the class with a determined look on his face. Everyone paid attention to watch one of these rare moments.

"I've decided to go confess to someone!"

At these words, most of the class quickly lost interest and turned back to whatever they were originally doing.

"Hey, hey, pay attention! I'm trying to be serious here!"

"Stupid brother…" Kimi began with a smile on her face. "I don't know why you decided to tell us about his right now when you recently mentioned getting an ero-game. It doesn't really seem appropriate…"

"C'mon sis, I'm just going to graduate from the ero-games after this one, after all…" he gave a calm face. "I'm going to go confess to Horizon."

The whole room froze at that moment. They knew he was an idiot, but this….

"Tori-kun, are you feeling alright?" Kuina went up and brought her hand to his forehead to check for any signs of a fever.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He gently pushed her hand away as he turned back towards the rest of the class. "I just want to stop avoiding her from now on. After I go and confess, it'll probably cause a lot of trouble, so I just want to say sorry in advance. And also, thanks for putting up with an idiot like me."

Everyone smiled, knowing that despite his stupidity, there were moments where he reminded them why they chose him in the first place.

"Well then, I guess you want us to have a kind of celebration?" Neshinbara asked as he closed his manuscript.

"Yeah! That would be great!"

"It'll probably cost a lot of money…" Shirojiro began making arrangements.

"What should we do about the event?"

"U-Um, maybe a-a gathering?

"We should get a lot of food for this…"

* * *

"He's going to go confess?" Masazumi stood up surprised.

"Yeah, so some of us went ahead to start retrieving some supplies for tomorrow's party." Ayumi pointed to Kazu while speaking. "Everyone else is with Tori right now trying to help him plan his confession." She started to walk closer to Masazumi.

"By the way…"

As she spoke, Masazumi flinched at the question that she was about to ask.

"Do you have any idea where we can find the best stores?"

"Hah?!"

"Well, we just sort of left without really thinking, and we kinda got lost. So I was just wondering…"

Masazumi sighed before giving her brief instructions to the closest store.

"Gotcha! Thanks a lot Masazu…."

Before they could finish, a large aircraft appeared in the sky with the Motonobu family crest on it.

"Isn't that…"

"Lord Motonobu's ship…"

A screen appeared, projecting an elderly man wearing an instructor's uniform.

"Yo, everyone. Are you doing well?" The figure smiled as he spoke. "I'm Lord Matsudaira Motonobu. Ruler of Mikawa. "I'd like to do something interesting for you this year…" his face moved closer to the screen. "There's going to be an impressive display of fireworks that I'd like you all to see."

He gives a wink while bringing an arm up. "Well then, Class is dismissed!"

As the screen closed, the three students thought the exact same thing "He'll never change…"

P-01s began waving hello towards the aircraft. "What are you doing?" Ayumi asked. "You're waving like a stupid tourist."

"Someone was waving here from the flight deck." It spoke with a hint of certainty. "I simply waved back when the person smiled…"

Ayumi shook her head. "Anyways, Masazumi." She took out a package that was addressed to Tori. "Can you give this to the chancellor when you go see him?"

"Sure…" she took the package before a thought came to her. "Wait, how did you know I'll…"

Before she could finish, Ayumi ran to Kazu and started dragging him to the bottom of the stairs.

"Later Seijun!"


	7. The Meeting

**_This chapter will briefly introduce a new character. Thanks Airhead fortis, lending me this character._**

* * *

"So today's group meeting is about how Tori will confess tomorrow…" Neshinbara began to take notes while the class sat at the entranceway for the meeting. "Well then, Tori, you may start…"

"Hey Tenzo…" Tori began. "How exactly do you go and confess to someone?"

"Hm? Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you seem like someone who's done it a bunch of times…"

Tenzo quickly stood and pointed at Tori. "You, you just insulted me, didn't you? Why me?!"

"Because, Kazu isn't here, and you're the best one to ask right now. Urquiaga was going to be my third choice…"

"Wait a minute!" The dragon suddenly replied. "I refuse to be insulted like this! Besides, I only the like 'Older Sister'type girls!"

"And I like the big-breasted blondes!"

"Just tell me…"

Tenzo sighed before pulling out a notebook and pen. "I guess we can try the letter plan…"

"Huh?"

"Basically, write down everything you like about her and use that to write a letter with your feelings. That way, it's easier to let her know than just saying things outright without thinking."

"So I just need to write down what I like about her? I'm not sure if I can do that…" As Tori blushed at the thought, he began writing down while stating his thoughts out loud.

"I really, really love your face. It's exactly my type. I also like how you're underwear is kinda visible through your apron while you're bending down. Then there are those great curves that you have all around your body…"

"I don't think you're having any problems writing this down…."

"Wait a minute lover boy, you didn't write down the one thing you should've above all else." Urquiaga began to rub his arm against his mount, as if wiping off saliva."You never mentioned anything about her boobs…"

The rest of class was unexpectedly shocked at this comment. Knowing that Tori was obsessed with boobs, they wondered why he never mentioned them in his letter. Tori, who seemed to have just remembered, hesitated before writing more down.

"Your awesome breasts….I can't say…" he stopped writing. "How can I explain?"

At that moment, Kimi moved closer to her brother and wrapped an arm around his neck.

"My stupid brother, you obviously take this matter seriously."

"Yeah!" Tori exclaimed. "It may not seem like it, but I'm pretty serious about that kind of thing!"

"Well then, the answers pretty obvious…you need to have a feel for yourself!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Just take your hands and feel a pair of boobs nearby!"

At this point, everyone was shocked at this comment. (The girls nearby covered their own breasts out of instinct).

"Wow sis, how'd you say something so stupid when you're supposed to be the smart one?"

"What's everyone doing?" At the doorway, three figures stood. One was Nate Mitotsudaira, part-werewolf and one of Musashi's knights. The second, was President Tadatsugu Sakai, formerly known as one of the Four Matsudaria Kings. The third, however, was a young man with black hair and brown eyes, and a fairly strong figure. It was Ichijou Sakai, President Sakai's nephew.

"Yo Tori! I heard you're going to go confess to someone tomorrow!"

"Yeah, we're just holding a meeting on how I'm going to do that."

Sakai(Tadatsugu) scratched the back of his neck. "So who's the lucky girl in question?"

"Horizon, of course."

There was a moment of silence. He suddenly grinned.

"Her, huh?"

"You think so too?"

"Yeah, but there's a chance she only looks like her you know."

"I know, but it's fine if it isn't her. I just hope she'll accept me for who I am."

"When did you decide that?"

"Just this morning. When I woke up, I decided that I'd confess, knowing that she died around this time 10 years ago."

"I see. Well, good luck. Come on, Ichijou." The elderly man began to walk away with his nephew following right behind. "Oh right, I'm going to see Masazumi. Want me to let her know about anything?"

"We decided that we're going to start a party here in the evening. Mind asking if she's going to come?"

"Judge, Judge…" he waved his hand without looking back.

"By the way…" Kimi spoke quietly to her brother. "You still have that _issue _we discussed earlier…"

"Ah, you're right…"

"Why not use _those_?"

As she referred to Nate, the both of them nodded in agreement before Kimi moved towards the female knight.

"Nate, I must ask you for an important favor…"


	8. The Armor of Deadly Sins

Tadagatsu and Ichijou began walking along the path towards Mikawa when they saw Masazumi Honda waiting up ahead.

"Yo, Nice to see you here!" Tadagatsu called out as the young president gave a slight bow.

"Good Afternoon, President Sakai."

"Oh right, have you seen my nephew, Ichijou?"

Masazumi turned her head towards the black-haired man. "Yes, we've seen each other in class before."

"Hey…"

The three began their walk towards Mikawa, discussing the changes that occurred over the last few months, and their thoughts about the future. As they got closer, they noticed that there were supply carts only heading towards Musashi, whereas none appeared to be coming from Musashi.

"Strange…it seems like goods are coming into Mushashi, but…"

"None are coming out." His nephew finished."Right?"

"It's almost like we've been abandoned…" Masazumi began to worry until she noticed a giant aircraft in the sky. "Isn't that…"

"It belongs to the pope name Innocentius who's aligned with K.P.A Italia. Personally, I think he's a pretty stuffy guy…" Tadagatsu began scratching the back of his head as he spoke. "Rumor says that he may have been involved with the creation of the Armor of Deadly Sins."

The Armor of Deadly Sins. Rumored to have been created using a person's soul, they are 8 objects that are considered an important part of keeping the world in balance. Each object contains power that can grant immense power to its wielder. They are named so because they are supposedly based on the eight concepts of the Seven Deadly Sins. However their methods of creation are considered a mystery.

"Hey, we should probably get going…" Ichijou spoke with a hint of impatience.

"He's right, let's go…"

Eventually, the three reached the gates of Mikawa, which opened upon their arrival.

"Well, this is where we get off. Thanks for taking us here." As they started to leave, Tadagatsu suddenly stopped. "Oh, right…Ichijou, go ahead and ask her…"

"Huh?" Masazumi slightly blushed.

His nephew sighed before speaking. "Tori said they were going to have a party tonight. He wanted us to let you know in case you wanted to go…"

The young vice-chancellor sighed with a disappointed tone. "Aoi huh?"

"Just keep it in mind…"

Both Sakai began to leave as Masazumi began walking back. While thinking about the Chancellor's invitation, she began to remember the words she heard from the owner of Blue Thunder.

"_You should probably go through Remorse Way. You might find the truth that's been hidden from you_."

"_Remorse way huh_…."

* * *

_**By now, everyone (or at least most of you) would probably want some action scenes. Believe me, I'm really trying to get something like that in this fanfic as soon as possible. Please be patient with me, as I am trying to think up something acceptable. *Bow* I promise I will try to get it done as soon as possible**_

_**On another note, I've gotten quite a few OC ideas, so thank you everyone who sent at least one in. And I'm still taking a few more(preferrably someone for K.P.A Italia or Tres Espana) so you can still send your ideas if you want.**_

_**Finally, thank you everyone who's reading this at all. I'm glad to know that people are taking the time to read this and it helps me get somewhat motivated to make sure you enjoy it. *Bow* Thank you, and please keep reading to the end.**_


	9. That Afternoon

**_This chapter is different, in the fact that it is several stories taking place at the same time. And I promise that the next chapter will have action scenes._**

* * *

_Mikawa..._

* * *

Tadagatsu and Ichijou continued through the forest path when three figures appeared nearby.

The first was another elderly man who had the appearance similar to a poet near retirement. This was Yasumasa Sakakibara, another of the Matsudaira Kings. Next was a man who had the face of an old man, but had the appearance of a veteran knight. It was Tadakatsu Honda, once again, a member of the Matsudaira. Finally, the last figure was a young woman with a ponytail and armor with the appearance similar to Tadakatsu. She was Futayo Honda, leader of Mikawa's Security Corps.

"Yo Tadakatsu," Tadagatsu greeted cheerfully. "It's been a while. But then, I didn't expect Yasumasa to come by as well, should I expect Naomasa to come by too?"

Yasumasa began to say something when he was stopped by Tadakatsu. "Before we go any further, show me!"

At that moment, Ichijou moved behind his uncle and brought his sword into a defensive position, blocking Futayo's horizontal slash. The two began to clash with several swift blows, one after another when suddenly, the young woman leapt back.

Tatdakatsu whistled. "Not bad, Sakai. But, what'll you do about this?"

At that moment, Futayo began to make a straight forward charge towards Ichijou, who moved into a defensive position. The force made him stagger for a bit when he noticed her coming at his back. He moved his sword to protect himself when suddenly she sped in front of him, spinning to slice his ribs. Ichijou, unable to move his sword in time, made a desperate move….

* * *

At a small pub, the group sat around a table as the three old friends sat drinking, while the other two sat watching in silence.

"Geez Sakai, I told you learning from your uncle was a bad role model." Tadakatsu began to light a pipe. "You should've stayed with us to learn how to fight, but you just had to go and learn something reckless…"

* * *

Futayo began to make a straight forward charge towards Ichijou, who moved into a defensive position. The force made him stagger for a bit when he noticed her coming at his back. He moved his sword to protect himself when suddenly she sped in front of him, spinning to slice his ribs. Ichijou, unable to move his sword in time, made a desperate move….

He dropped his sword and caught her blade with his hands, just before they made contact. He pushed them away, leaving Futayo temporarily off-balance, and giving him enough time to grab Futayo and bind her. However, out of habit of watching his uncle, he grabbed her butt by mistake, making her yell out in embarrassment and slap him in the face…

* * *

The three friends all bursted out laughing at the memory of the battle while Ichijou sat unfazed, with a red mark on his left cheek. He bowed to Futayo, who was blushing from the unexpected move earlier.

"I'm sorry about that. I would watch my uncle do that constantly to the women he sparred with, and assumed it was an attempted grappling move."

"I guess it's my bad too…" His uncle spoke chuckling. "I didn't think he'd understand, so I just kinda kept silent about the whole thing…"

Futayo began to glare at Tadagatsu before speaking. "Father, I'd like to ask you to introduce us…"

"Well, you remember Ichijou right? You two used to both learn from me about fighting before he decided that he would've been better with his carefree uncle…"

"I didn't think fighting with a spear was meant for me, so I wanted to learn how to fight with a sword, the same way my uncle could."

"Yeah, well that carefree uncle of his is right there..." He pointed at Tadagetsu. "Tadagetsu Sakai. Even though he looks kinda stupid, he's actually pretty strong."

"Please, that was years ago. I'm not as nearly as strong as I once was. Anyways…" he placed his cup down, and began to talk seriously."So what happened to Naomasa that would keep him from joining us?"

The two elders made serious faces as well, knowing they couldn't hide anything from their old friend.

"Fine then, I'll tell you what happened…."

* * *

_Remorse Way..._

* * *

Masazumi passed the teahouse in front of Remorse Way, carrying the package she was asked to bring to Tori. She noticed a sign, showing her that her destination was right ahead.

"Looks like I'm going the right way…"

She was about to enter when she heard a voice singing. She stopped and decided to listen to the nostalgic song from her childhood, knowing the voice of the one who sung it, and smiling to herself.

"I think I've heard that voice lot today…"

She entered Remorse Way, and began walking along the path, noting the scenery and wondering what would could be the "truth" that everyone seemed to have mentioned, when a few minutes later, she saw a figure standing along the road. Walking closer, she noticed that it was a face she had already seen today and sighed before greeting her.

"Hey Ayumi,…"

* * *

"Kazu left somewhere else?"

Ayumi smiled. "Yes, he kept complaining about how it was too much trouble to carry the supplies, so I told him that if he's so frustrated, that he should go cool off somewhere. But, I think he just used it as an excuse to just ditch work."

"He never changes…"

"Hmmm, so he'd do that with you around too?"

"Huh?! Um….uhh…" Masazumi quickly changed the subject. "That's right! What are you doing here?"

"Me? I'm just waiting for our stupid Chancellor to show up."

"Aoi…wait a minute," as she suddenly recalled what the owner of Blue Thunder said. "I thought he didn't come for about 10 years, why would he come by now?"

Ayumi gave a sad smile.

"Well, he said he wanted to come by before the party tonight. It's probably hard on him, even now…"

Masazumi gave a confused look.

"Did you know, there was a girl named Horizon here?"

"Horizon, wasn't that…"

"Yes, the name of the girl who died here…" Ayumi turned her head towards the gravestone that was placed off the path. "It was a day nobody could forget…"

Masazumi began to speak when the two of them saw Tori running by. He stopped nearby to catch his breath when he saw the Masazumi holding the package she received earlier today. He quickly ran up to pick up the package.

"Thanks Seijun!" His face appeared pale and gloomy despite his cheerful smile. He was breathing heavily, as if he had just ran a marathon, and he gripped her shoulders tightly, like a child holding his mother's hand while meeting someone new. "I wanted to get this package today, but nobody seemed to have known where it went…"

Hearing this, She turned slightly towards Ayumi and chuckled while giving a dark look.

"Oh yeah, we're having a party tonight at the school. Are you gonna come?"

"Huh? Wait a minute, Aoi!"

As she spoke, Tori had suddenly dashed away towards the exit, without waiting for an answer. She sighed before walking back to Ayumi, who was still smiling sadly.

"He really did decide to go…"

"Huh? Is it really that strange?"

Ayumi motioned her to sit next to her on a bench.

"Maybe I should tell you what happened…"

* * *

_Blue Thunder..._

* * *

Kazu was walking through the streets, hoping to avoid anyone from the academy (and any work that might follow).

"I know I should probably help, but it seems like such a hassle…"

He suddenly thought back to the past.

"Sometimes you need to make sacrifices, even if you don't want to…"

Kazu blushed from the thought and decided to head to Blue Thunder instead. He found the shop about a few minutes away from where he was, and went inside. He noticed P-01s was at the counter like always.

"Hello"

It greeted in a polite tone which led Kazu to reply in kind.

"Hello, P-01s…"

He sat down and read through the menu to decide what to eat, when a familiar face came by with a notepad.

"Ditching work again Kazu?"

He looked up to see the face of his classmate, Tsukasa.

"I'm just tired Shirokage, can we just leave it at that?"

Tsukasa shrugged.

"Are you ready to order?"

* * *

While P-01s was preparing his order, Tsukasa placed a glass of water on the table before heading over to the counter in the automaton's place.

"So Kazu…" he began as the bandanna-wearing student began to drink. "Did something weird happen to you and Masazumi in the past?"

Kazu, surprised from the question, gagged from the water and began to cough.

"W-What the hell made you ask that?"

"_Everyone knows about the both of you…_" he thought. "Just a guess…"

Kazu set his glass down as he made a face of disappointment.

"I don't really know. We got along for about 6 months without any problems, but one day, she seemed to be pushing me away. I wanted to know what was wrong, but it just started an argument. One thing led to another, and then I guess, we just kind of drifted apart."

"Ah," P-01s exclaimed as she came back with his order. "Then, is it accurate to say that she 'got over you'?"

Kazu felt an arrow pierce through his heart.

"You're wrong P-01s, she didn't 'get over him', the accurate term is more like she 'dumped' him, or 'she broke his heart'."

Two more arrows seem to have pierced his heart.

P-01s placed his order on the table. "Then is it correct to use the term 'loser' in reference to Kazu-sama?"

"No, that's too harsh of a comment. I'd say more like he 'failed' at his opportunity…"

"SHUT UP! I DIDN'T GET 'DUMPED' OR 'MY HEART BROKEN' OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT!"

"Then why did you both drift apart?"

"I DON'T KNOW, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ME!"

"Then you're saying that it was Masazumi's fault?"

"NO, OF COURSE IT WASN'T HER FAULT!"

Frustrated at the insults, Kazu began to furiously eat through his order while P-01s moved next to Tsukasa. "Tsukasa-sama, I am confused about Kazu-sama's behavior."

"Well, he got a lot of pride…"

"Is pride not useless to carry during a conversation such as this?"

"Logically no, but...nevermind…"

Tsukasa removes his work attire and puts on his student uniform and black gloves. "P-01s, are you planning to go see the fireworks?"

"Judge, I will be going to the plaza to view them along with everyone else later today."

"_Guess I should let them know…_" he thought to himself. "Well then, I'll take over the evening shift so that you can go early." As he passed through the door, he waved to Kazu. "Hey Kazu, make sure you get to the party on time…"

Kazu gave a slight wave as Tsukasa left the shop. As he ate, he began to wonder what happened to have made them drift apart.

"_It couldn't have been my fault…right?_"

* * *

_Outside in the streets..._

* * *

Most of class Plum-3 were out gathering supplies for the party later tonight. The girls each held bags of food and were cheerfully talking about the party later tonight.

"We're going to celebrate a lot for Tori's confession."

"Yeah, it kinda seems like a big deal. By the way, where's Kimi?"

"She wanted to go wait for her brother as he goes through Remorse way."

"Geez, that idiot never went by for almost 10 years now, is he going to be alright?"

"It's probably hard for him, but I think it's a good thing to let him do something like this. It'll help him get over that day."

"Yeah….the day that Horizon died…"

"H-Horizon was a good person…she w-was always kind to e-everyone, n-no matter what…"

"Yeah, she'd help everyone get through their troubles, like Ichijou and even you Suzu."

"Y-Yes, that's why, I think Tori m-must be trying h-hard to do s-something like this."

"Yeah…."

They noticed the guys came by, each holding bags filled with what appeared to be even more food and supplies.

"You all went and got some food too?"

"Man, exactly how big is this party going to be?"

Just then, the owner of Blue Thunder came out to see what the commotion was about.

"My my, it seems like I'm getting a lot of familiar faces today"

"Sorry about that, we're going to have a pretty big party going on tonight…"

"It's fine, feel free to come by if you need help with this celebration."

"Thank you very much ma'am."

* * *

_That day, I believed we would stay the same no matter what happened. That our world would go on like normal, and we would welcome a new beginning..._


	10. In the Forest

_**So finally, we have an action scene. Although to be honest, this is the first one, so please give your reviews so that I can improve for the next chapter.**_

* * *

"Geez, why do we have to take guard duty on a night like this?"

A guard was sitting while grumbling over his bad luck as he watched the night sky. Normally, the guards were supposed to be vigilant and be prepared at all times, but on a night like this, it was hard to focus, knowing that very few problems occurred Mikawa, and even fewer occurred at night.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Another guard asked over their communicators. "It's supposed to be a quiet evening today. You don't need to be standing…"

"Standing?" the guard turned to look behind him…

* * *

"Cheers!"

Class Plum-3 was outside the academy, celebrating for the upcoming event.

"Where's Tori gone to?"

"He said he'll be coming later. He wanted to finish his letter to Horizon first."

"Guess we'll go see her after he comes by then…"

"C'mon everyone! Let's just enjoy ourselves!"

As the party grew into a bigger uproar, several of the students moved away from the noise to try and watch Mikawa's fireworks. Among them were Malga, Margot, Kazu, Kuina, Azuma, and Suzu.

"Geez, everyone's being as rowdy as usual." Margot exclaimed while clutching Malga's arm.

"Yes, but maybe that's actually a good thing." Azuma replied. "I like to think that by living like this, we can make sure we live a life without any regrets."

"Huh, our little Azuma's a philosopher now?"

"Huh, n-no of course not!" he denied embarrassingly. "I just honestly believe that!"

"Hmmm, maybe you're right…"

As the group stared off into the sky, Kuina began to frown slightly.

"I feel a sort of disturbance in the forest about several miles off from here. "

"You sure? I don't think anyone would be in the forest at this time…"

"I'm sure, but I can't really tell what it is…" She turned to Kazu and smiled. "Kazzzzuuuuu. Do you mind…."

"No."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"Um, but it could be…"

"No"

"But Kazu, it could be important…"

"I said no"

Suzu spoke quietly. "U-Um….p-please Kazu. Can you g-go check?"

"Fine"

He stood up and began to walk towards the site when Kuina suddenly stopped him.

"I don't think you'd need this, but just in case…."

She tied an Omamori(Japanese Good Luck Amulet) into his jacket and told him the coordinates before letting him leave.

"What do you think it could have been?"

Kuina made a solemn face.

"I don't know," she said. "But I hope it isn't something serious…"

* * *

About 6 minutes after reaching the point in question, Kazu began to search around the area for any sign of an intruder before taking a break.

"This is pointless, how can we tell if that thing is even still around? Maybe it's just a prank somebody pulled…"

He sat down on a nearby rock and sighed heavily before talking to himself.

"Today was supposed to be a day to celebrate, and I don't really feel like working that hard…so why don't you come on out and surrender to make this easier on everyone?"

As he spoke, a cloaked figure slowly appeared from the shadows.

"How'd you know I was here?" it said in a falsely rough voice.

"First, I'd like to ask you something," Kazu stood up while turning to face the intruder. "Who are you? What exactly are you doing here?"

"That's classified; anyways I don't feel like talking to a person who doesn't look like he has any fashion sense…"

Kazu grew silent before giving a cold, evil smile.

"Well then, maybe I should force it out of you…" He takes out a pair of pistols from the hoisters near his ankles, and aims each of them at the intruder, who suddenly moves towards the closest tree. Kazu began shooting rapidly at the cloaked figure, but only manages to barely graze him on the cheek. As he moved closer towards his target, he started to talk, hoping to pry out as much information as he could while confirming the figure's location.

"I'm guessing you aren't trying to attack the academy, since you're taking such a roundabout way to pass by, so what could you possibly want in Musashi?"

"That's none of your business. Just go back home…"

He shot at the site where the voice appeared to be coming from, but there was no reaction.

"Is there someone you're trying to take? Someone that might be important to us?"

"Shut up…"

Kazu fired again.

"Is it our emperor? His wife? Azuma? Who is it?"

Silence fell in the area. It seems like the intruder caught on to his plan.

"You should say something; otherwise I can't guarantee your life from here on out…"

He heard a rustling in the leaves nearby. He quickly turns and takes a shot towards the source, waiting for a sign.

"_Did I get him?" _

Just then, he felt something slide next to him before feeling something warm on his arm along with a slight jolt. He turned to see some blood trickling from his arm. He quickly spun around, but couldn't find anything. He heard something behind him, so he quickly turned, but felt something slide by his leg as he fell to one knee. He continued to point his gun every time he heard something, but every time he turned, something sliced by him in a completely different direction.

Kazu couldn't understand how the intruder appeared to elude him so easily. The attacks seemed to just appear and disappear out of nowhere, and his own shots seem to have no effect, as if the target never existed in the first place. And there's still no idea of what the weapon used was.

"Calm down, I need to take this one step at a time…"

He waited until his breathing began to stabilize, ignoring his surroundings. He began to focus, pretending not to notice the attacks launched towards him, and waited patiently. Suddenly, he grabbed something in the air and pulled it towards him, dragging along the intruder and removing his hood to show a young man with his raven-black hair tied in a ponytail, and blue eyes as dark as the sea. But the thing that caught Kazu's attention was the uniform that the intruder was wearing. It wasn't the uniform of Ariadust Acadamy, but a red and white uniform, which belonged to Tres Espana.

"You're…"

"Haahhh….." the intruder groaned before standing up and dusting off his clothes. "You saw me, looks like I don't really have a choice…" he removes his cloak and tosses it onto a nearby branch, revealing his uniform which had sleeves that appeared longer than the standard model.

"I'm Sasuke Karasu, spy and assassin unit for Tres Espana." He smiled happily at Kazu. "Try to keep it in that stupid little brain of yours…"

Kazu grinned. "That's funny, coming from someone who's acting like a stupid little brat."

Sasuke shrugs. "Whatever, anyways since you now know who I am, I'm going to need to ask you to sleep for now…"

He quickly dashes towards Kazu while making a slight spin with his sleeves, catching him momentarily off guard. However, Kazu quickly recovers and throws a punch at the young boy, who dodges quickly enough to just be grazed by the sudden counter. Sasuke quickly jumps back and waves his left sleeve at Kazu, who felt a sudden jab on his leg. He turns his head to see something black sticking through his uniform.

"That's how you did it…"

He pulls the object out of his leg and tosses it back to Sasuke, who catches it with ease.

"You've been using those kunai and some string for your attacks, keeping them just hidden from view to confuse me." Kazu struggled to stand as he spoke. "The string was used as a distraction to make movement in one location, while you would attack in another. That's how you made it seem like you were making those phantom movements…"

Sasuke holds a sleeve up to his mouth, and squints his eyes. "Congratulations, it seems you figured it out…" A kunai tied to a piece of string came from his other sleeve, which he swung around in a circular movement. "…at least, part of it…"

"Part of it?" Kazu gave a confused look.

"Why don't you see first-hand what else I can do with this…before kissing the ground!"

Sasuke quickly released the kunai which stuck itself into a tree. Before Kazu could react, Sasuke quickly pulled the string and began speeding towards Kazu while setting up a swift kick. Kazu dodged at the last minute, avoiding the attack and watched as the impact broke the tree behind him.

"That was close…"

Suddenly, another kunai came flying towards his face, leaving a cut near his left eye as he tried to move out of the way. Blood began dripping from the wound as he turned to face Sasuke.

"Come on, come on, come on… Is that the best you can do?" He licks the blood from the kunai before tucking it away. "If that's all, then just lie down and die LIKE THE DOG YOU ARE!"

He tosses one last kunai towards Kazu when suddenly, a barrier surrounded him, preventing any attacks from getting through.

"Huh?"

Kazu struggled to get up when he noticed the charm he received from Kuina earlier began to glow brightly.

"Geez…she could've stayed out of this…"

As his wounds appeared to heal, Sasuke began to show a face of interest and annoyance.

"What the hell's going on?"

"I've got….someone….who contracted….Kishijoten…"

"The Goddess of luck and beauty? What does that have to do with….ahhhhh…."

Sasuke stared at Kazu carefully. "So that's how it works…"

"Yeah, damn charm protects and kinda patches me up…" Kazu began to regain some of his strength as they spoke. "Though I'd rather avoid using it like this…"

He stood tall, wiping off the blood that was on his face, spat out some blood in his mouth, and glared at Sasuke.

"Now then let's finish this…"

He takes a fighting stance against the young intruder and dashes at a speed quicker than expected for someone who was covered with wounds earlier. Before Sasuke could react, a kick was delivered to his chest, pushing him back a few steps.

"How…"

"Sorry, don't have time for this…"

Kazu points both his guns at Sasuke, who quickly runs to escape the attack. Several gunshots rang out as Kazu slowly followed behind until he finally reached the assassin, who was leaning against a tree, bleeding from several bulletholes around his body..

"Damnit!" His eyes glared menacingly at Kazu, who simply stared back with indifference, aiming for a headshot.

"I'll make you pay you disgusting little piece of…."

Just then, a screen appeared in front of Sasuke, showing a young girl with purple hair in another Tres Espana uniform.

"Sasuke-san, please return to the ship immediately."

"NOT RIGHT NOW GIN! I NEED TO TEAR THIS GUY APART!"

"The situation has changed, it is important that you retreat for now. You can perform your mission later."

"But…"

"This is an order. Obey or we shall take measures into our own hands." The screen had cut its connection.

"Tch…" Sasuke regains his composure and retrieves his weapons. "Consider yourself lucky you bastard. I didn't get to use even 60% of my full strength on you just yet." He points at Kazu. "But next time we face each other, you've better had set up your funeral…"

He quickly disappears, leaving Kazu staring at the space he occupied only moments ago.

"Such a troublesome guy. Hope that he...doesn't come….back…"

He struggled to barely keep himself up, trying to walk back to the Acadamy. However, the attacks had already took their toll on him, and the effects of Kuina's charm were wearing off. His eyesight was already beginning to fade.

"Mus…t….warn…..th…"

Kazu fell before everything went black.


	11. The Truth and the End (Part 1)

_**I think I'm starting to suffer from every writers worst enemy. Yeah, I'm talking about writer's block...*Depressing look*. Anyways, here's the next chapter...**_

* * *

"Something's wrong…"

It was almost an hour since Kazu left to check the disturbance. The others began to worry about his safety.

"Kuina, can you feel anything?"

"Let me see…"

She gripped the charm around her neck, focusing on Kazu's image to get a glimpse of his situation. After a couple of minutes, she saw the image of a body lying on the ground. It was Kazu, and he appeared to be unconscious. But it was hard to tell since there was a lot of blood nearby.

"I found him, but it doesn't look good…"

"What?" Azuma began to panic. "S-Shouldn't we do something? We should tell someone!"

As he stood up, Kuina held her hand out to stop him. "Wait a moment…" She gave a serious face that seemed very unusual for someone who seemed carefree and brainless in class. "We can't cause a panic right now. He's still alive, and it doesn't look like there's anyone else nearby. Let's just pretend like nothing happened for now…"

"But…"

Kuina smiled at Azuma. "Don't worry, if things get too rough, we'll let them know…" She turned to the Angelic Duo. "Margot, Malga, go pick up Kazu and try to bring him over without the others noticing."

"Judge!" The two sped off towards the same direction Kazu went while Kuina gripped Suzu and Azuma's shoulders.

"Now then, let's go meet up with everyone else!"

"But what about…"

"It's ok, we'll go see the fireworks at some point!"

While pushing them away, her smile slightly faded away. It felt like something was about to change, but until then, she wanted everyone to enjoy themselves one last time.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Tadagatsu Sakai dashed through the streets of Mikawa, hoping to find his old friend and confront him about what he saw at his house. Along the way however, he noticed that the streets seemed too quiet, and stood still for a minute. There was nothing but silence, so e knocked on the doors of the houses nearby, and went inside when he heard no reply. But each house was revealed to be empty, not a soul was anywhere in the area.

"What's going on?"

Just then, he felt something poking his back as he slowly turned around. It was Tadakatsu, pointing an unusual spear at him while wearing his old battle armor.

"Honda! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Yo, Tadagatsu! I take it you saw it?" he took a pipe and started to smoke.

"Yeah, what the hell is going on here? Why are you doing all of this"

"Well, it's all Lord Matatsudaira's orders. I don't know what he intends to do, but my job is to carry out his orders, not question them…"

Tadagatsu began to take out his blade when he suddenly took a closer look at the spear being pointed at him. "That's…."

"Tonbokiri(Slicing Dragonfly), one of the few prototypes for the Armor of Deadly sins" His old friend commented. "It's able to sever the existence of whatever's reflected on its blade…"

"So then…"

"Yeah, I severed the existence of everyone in Mikawa, that's why it's so empty right now…"

"Damn it, what the hell is Matatsudaira thinking?"

"You want to ask him yourself?"

Sakai gave a surprised look.

"Come on, I'll let you see him…"

Honda started to walk away

"Tch…"

Sakai cautiously followed, wondering what to ask once they all meet together.

* * *

The two of them arrived at Shin-Nagoya Castle, Matatsudaira's home. However, shortly after their arrival, a pillar of light appeared in the middle of the building, releasing a large amount of energy that was spilling across the area. Earthquakes and small hurricanes occurred nearby as a barrier appeared around the source of the destruction, preventing any being or G.O.W(God of War) units from entering.

"This is…"

"A meltdown of the energy being accumulated in the Platonic Plate Reactor…"

The two of them quickly turned around to the source of the unfamiliar voice. A man stood nearby with light hair and a fairly muscular body. His uniform was red and white, informing them that he was a student of Tres Espana, but what caught their attention was the giant weapon, resembling a partially living gunblade, on his back, which was a Mortal Sin Armament known as Lype Katathlipse(Sorrowful Idleness).

"Muneshige Tachibana," The newcomer introduced himself. "Nice to meet you."

Honda made a stern face. "You're….the man who holds the title 'God-Speed'. What's a boy of your caliber doing here?"

"I'm here to receive answers. I wish to know why you are doing this, why you choose to bring this destruction to your own land!"

He scratched the back of his head. "You're asking the wrong guy, I don't know what the reason is either…"

"Then…"

"But on my lord's orders, I'm going to keep everyone else from stopping his plan, no matter what."

"I see, then I suppose I'll have just pass through and stop this myself!"

At the end of those words, Muneshige drew his weapon and activated a speed spell, increasing his movements by 5 times, making him appear as a blur as he charged straight towards Honda. The armored old man quickly swung his spear to counter the target's movements, but Muneshige ducked and sped past it before turning around and firing several blasts at both the weapon and wielder, knocking him off-balance for a moment.

"Hey, Sakai! Anytime you want to jump in is fine with me!"

Tadagatsu just stood nearby with his arms crossed, watching the battle. It didn't look like he was about to attack "God speed" any time soon

"_Hey, hey, are you gonna let this kid kill me Sakai_?"

Turning back to Muneshige, Tadakatsu made several swift strikes which slightly injured the quick student. He made several blows to the giant gunblade before turning the blade of the spear, flat-side facing "God speed" and crying out "Sever, Tonbokiri!". A flash of light had burst out from the blade as a purple scar filled the space where Tonbokiri was reflecting.

"Not bad kid, you ain't called 'God speed' for nothing…"

Tachibana was closer to Matasudaira's castle, having moved further away from where he was just a moment ago.

"I've already studied on Tonbokiri and its weaknesses. One is to avoid/block the reflection on its spearhead; the other is to simply keep away from its target area, which looks about 30 meters"

"Hmph, but I can't let you get any closer than where you are now!"

Tadakatsu began to move closer when he suddenly felt a sharp jolt in his left leg. Looking down, he saw that there was a gunshot wound that was leaking blood.

"Damn, did he get me while moving away from my last attack?"

He struggled to get closer, but Lype Katathilipse had already shifted its form to resemble a rifle.

"With this, it's over…"

A small beam of light blasted towards the castle, setting the aim for its Hyper Drive

"In a few moments, that castle will be 'shaved' away from existence, preventing the energy from going out of control, you have failed your mission, Tadakatsu Honda…"

Honda raised his head to watch as Muneshige focused on his target.

"I'm sorry…Lord Matatsudaira…"

A large blast shot out from the Mortal Sin Armament, temporarily blinding everyone nearby from the light. When everything was visible again, the castle continued to stand, complete and unharmed.

"What?!"

Muneshige stared in disbelief as Sakai groaned while stretching his arms.

"Geez, I forgot how much of a strain this thing takes on me…"

He held up his blade which appeared as an ancient artifact. It gave a faint glow before turning to normal.

"Damn Sakai, you waited this long before helping out?"

He took the sword and swung it once to check the weight.

"You know we're both getting old, and I wanted to give you a bit of a lesson before coming in…"

Honda held his spear lightly before finally making his stance towards Muneshige.

"Well now's a good as time as any to use it…"

Sakai made his own stance while glaring at his target.

"Maken…"

* * *

**_I'd like to take this moment to tell you that there's another Horizon fanfic made by metalgearhunter. Second one in this category, so it'd be great to show him some support too._**

**_Thanks again for all your support, and continue following us towards the end_**


	12. The Truth and the End (Part 2)

_**This chapter and next might get a bit confusing. Just a heads up**_

* * *

"Maken(Spirit Sword)?"

Muneshige gripped Lype Katathilipse tighter as he stared at the weapon in front of him.

"Yeah, it's a weapon I used in the past. Pretty nasty thing too…" Sakai smiled. "It's basically something I can use to counter any ether-related techniques."

"Then you're the one who made Lype Katathilipse miss?"

"Yeah, that ether you shot out was basically to set a path for the hyperdrive, right?"

"Tes. Lype Katathilipse can also sever the existence of whatever it reflects."

"_An advanced Tonbokiri, huh_?" Sakai thought to himself.

"However, it's much more difficult to control, so the ether sets the connection between Lype Katathilipse's hyper drive and its target to prevent any excess destruction."

"So basically, it's like oil and fire…"

"Tes. However, you still didn't explain how you managed to shift my attack!"

Sakai scratched his head. "Well, I just adjusted the 'path' of ether you made so that the attack would 'miss'. That's one of Maken's abilities."

"I see, so you would also like to be responsible for the destruction of Mikawa?"

"No, no, I just want to get some answers before I decide…"

"WELL THEN, LET'S BEGIN THE Q & A SESSION!"

A voice boomed loudly across the area as the gates opened to reveal the Platonic Plate Reactor beginning to overload. Near the reactor, appeared to be a scene from a Japanese summer festival parade. Hundreds of Automatrons were playing instruments, banging drums, and marching with banners held high. In the middle of all this, projected onto the screens that appeared across the whole area, standing at the top of a tall float with a microphone in hand, was Lord Matatsudaira himself.

At the sight of this scene, everyone thought the exact same thing. "He never changes…"

"Well then, I assume that Sakai-kun and Muneshige-san have some questions for me?"

"Tes!" Muneshige shouted." What exactly do you hope to accomplish destroying Mikawa and endangering the Far East?"

"That is a good question, so let me ask in kind…" Matasudaira clasped his hands together, and made a face, similar to a girl asking an embarrassing, yet innocent question. "Isn't it fun to be under pressure? I've always said that thinking is fun, and so wouldn't it stand to reason that anything that makes you think harder than ever before while under immense pressure, wouldn't that give you the greatest feeling of all?" His face changed to give a more serious look. "But, there's something that requires even more thinking, a lot more thinking. Do you have any idea, Muneshige-san?"

"Of course not!"

"Then, you'll die without even knowing why…"

Muneshige frowned at this pointless question.

"Honda-kun, do you have any idea?"

Honda replies like a child to his teacher. "Nope! I'm totally clueless!"

Matasudaira waves his hand. "Fine, then as punishment, stay there while bleeding yourself dry…"

"Hey!"

"Sakai-kun, any idea?"

Sakai gave it some thought before answering.

"Is it the End of the World?"

The Lord of Mikawa smiled.

"Exactly! That is the right answer!" He smiled like the devil before continuing his speech.

"You see everyone; you will all enter a world where the future is literally bleak. Isn't it exciting to think that you'll have to use all your wits to survive the apocalypse? Of course, I've given something to each country to help achieve that goal!

"That would be…"

"The Armor of Deadly Sins. To be precise, anyone who has the complete set will have the greatest chance of averting this disaster!"

Sakai responded angrily

"But then why distribute them to different countries in the first place?"

"Because, we've followed the Testament practically word for word since the beginning. Wouldn't it be fun to see something different than what happened to the past?"

"You fool!"

* * *

Tsukasa finished cleaning up the store, and was about to set his work clothes away when he saw a figure stand at the door.

"P-01s"

He walked up to the automatron and placed a hand on its shoulder.

"Disappointed that there weren't any fireworks?"

"Judge. However I had suddenly felt the urge to return here…"

"Well, that's gonna be a problem…" Tsukasa scratched the back of his head. "Tori and the others may have trouble finding you then…"

"Tsukasa-sama, I wish to ask you something…"

* * *

"Then, you intend to make us fight over all eight pieces for survival?" Muneshige questioned

Matatsudaira grinned devilishly. "Eight? There are actually NINE pieces…

"What?!"

"Evagrius Ponticus mentioned a ninth evil, aside from the eight original temptations. It was said that 'Jealousy' was the one sin that the other eight had branched off of."

"What happened to this ninth weapon then?!"

"I believe you all know the rumors of how the Armor of Seven Sins was created? That each weapon originated from human lives?"

As he continued to speak, Matatsudaira began to look less human, and more like a devil in human skin.

"I'm here to tell you that the rumor is 99% accurate!"

"99%? What is the other 1%"

"Most of you are probably wondering 'What is the other 1%'?", well, let me tell you a story…"

* * *

"Can you tell me the story of 'Remorse way'?" P-01s asked. "I have heard about this from many people, but I do not know how the story goes…"

The two of them sat down as Tsukasa began while making a depressing face.

"It was a day few people would ever forget…"

* * *

_10 years ago..._

* * *

Matatsudaira was leaving a meeting with the leaders of Musashi in his horse-drawn carriage. Many people lined up along the streets to see the famous lord himself. Some cheered from the knowledge of his presence; others stayed silent, waiting for a chance to see the lord's face in person. However, nobody was prepared for what came next…

A young girl suddenly ran into the street, chased by a young boy who tried to catch up to her. The two entered just as the carriage was about to pass by, when suddenly the horses panicked. There was a loud crack, the shifting of movement; blood was splattered across the area, and two bodies were lying on the ground.

Everyone quickly moved to gather around the bodies, screaming and crying as the medical team came by to gather the children. It wasn't until a few hours later, when an announcement was given, stating that only one of the children survived the accident. The dead child's body was too damaged for people to see, so instead, a tombstone was left in the path, now known as 'Remorse way', with the name of the child carved as a sign of respect and regret…

* * *

"So this child's body, did anyone announced what had happened to it?"

"No, nobody even knows where it went. As far as we know, it could've been rotting in the dirt by now or even stuffed as a life-size doll…"

P-01s was silent for a moment before asking something else.

"Tsukasa-sama, how are automatrons created?"

Tsukasa was slightly confused by this question.

"You should know, they're formed by putting a human soul into an artificial humanoid body. Anyways why are you…."

He suddenly stopped and turned his head towards the automatron with a face of realization.

"Hey, don't tell me…"

* * *

"So? That story doesn't explain what the other 1% is!"

"Well then, let me explain. The 1% is that the Armor of Deadly Sins were not created using people, but instead a single person! Specifically, the young girl who died in the accident 10 years ago from today!"

Matatsudaira began to give a feeling of slight insanity while continuing.

"You see, I ran her over about 10 years ago to create the Arnaments, and last year, I gave her soul to the body of an automatron that was implanted with the ninth Armament 'Jealousy' before sending her to Musashi."

Sakai gave a face of horror.

"It can't be…"

"She is called P-01s, however she is also known as Horizon Ariadust, my daughter, and she carries the Jealousy Armament, Oros Pthonos(Entirety of Yearning)!"

* * *

"So P-01s was actually Horizon?"

"She did look really familiar…"

"But then that means that…"

"Tori!"

As Class Plum-3 turned at the scream, Tori ran off towards Blue Thunder, with a face of determination that no one had seen before. Worried about his safety, Noriki, Tenzo, Urquiaga, Ayumi and Neshinbara ran after him.

Kimi stood sadly, whispering to herself. "Please make sure he's alright…"

* * *

Masazumi ran towards Blue Thunder after checking the plaza.

"What the hell is he thinking? Why would he do something like that to his own daughter?"

* * *

"I saw Horizon earlier today. She waved to me as Musashi entered Mikawa from the sky, right after my announcement. I knew that it meant she was doing well this past year."

Matatsudaira points to the sky.

"Therefore, the time is now to start something new in our history!"

Muneshige points his weapon at the Lord.

"Not unless I stop you right here!"

"Hmm, that would be problematic…so Honda-kun, I'd like you to do something about this!"

Muneshige turned to Tadakatsu Honda, who stood with the determination to fulfill his duty.

"Hey Sakai, I'd like to get some help here!"

He turned to Tadagatsu Sakai who stood with equal determination.

"Well I got my answer, and I can't let my old friend down, now can I?"

"Two against one? This hardly seems fair…"

"Well you're much younger than us, so it works out fairly…"

"Well then…"

The three warriors cried out as they began their assault.


	13. The Truth and the End (Part 3)

"So you've been piecing your memories together since a year ago?"

"Judge. However, only 90.72% of my memories are currently repaired. I could not recall the events of that day in 'Remorse Way'"

"So that's why you asked me to tell you about what happened…"

The two sat together in silence. Tsukasa's hands were folded together as he reviewed everything he heard.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Horizon sat in silence, staring blankly ahead, as if any life she had was lost.

* * *

A flash of light was seen as Sakai and Muneshige clashed against each other with their blades. Muneshige was troubled facing two veteran warriors at once, but he handicapped one of them by slowing his movements, and could parry the slashes from the other using his speed.

"_It would be best to take care of the wielder of Maken first_!"

In the case that he failed to defeat both, his chances of success in his original mission would increase as long as he could use the hyper drive on the barrier around the castle. However, even with his speed, he couldn't find many openings in Sakai's attack pattern. Even when he could, they were quickly covered before he could begin a counterattack.

"I suppose I don't have any choice…"

He increased his speed by 500x, making him at least 10 times faster than his last boost. However, the strain on his muscles became obvious as he flinched from the sudden pain in his body. He made several quick slashes and shots at Sakai, who attempted to dodge them all, but was still hit by some of the attacks. The two began to match each other blow for blow once again, but Sakai's movements were beginning to slow down from the damage he took.

"This is the end!"

Muneshige began to swing when he suddenly stepped away from Sakai with a pained look on his face. He stared at Honda, who smiled as he held Tonbokiri to reflect his image.

"If I stood only a second longer…"

He clenched his fists as he further increased his speed to 15,000x, heavily straining his muscles, but making him fast enough to quickly strike at both Sakai and Honda and making them faint before turning and setting his Armament towards the castle. He watched as the ether made its target and the charge began for the hyper drive.

"Now, things shall return to normal…"

As he spoke, he turned to the blood gushing out from his chest, and smiled. Tadakatsu was able to get in a deadly blow before getting knocked out by the attack. However, his efforts were for naught since he failed to stop the Hyper drive.

Everything began to go dark as Muneshige began to lose consciousness…

* * *

Tadakatsu stood up, stretching his arms and grinned as he saw Muneshige's unconscious body.

"Geez, if it weren't for this old thing, I might not have been able to make it…"

He looked down at his old armor as it fell apart from the strain from the years of battles. He scratched his head and stared at the Armament's hyper drive.

"Guess there's nothing I can do now…"

He turns to Sakai and roughly kicks him in the stomach. Sakai coughs before struggling to stand up.

"What was that for?"

"Revenge…"

The two smiled as they turned back to the problem in front of them.

"Can you use 'Maken' for this?"

"I can't redirect it like last time, it's already set its target too accurately to shift it now…"

"Then what about the 'other' functions?"

"I could, but then I won't be able to move for a while you know…"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure we both get out of this alive!" Honda pounded his chest as he spoke.

Sakai smiled. "Well then…"

He took his Divine weapon and stared at Lype Katathilipse.

"Maken…" the blade cracked, revealing a hidden center…

* * *

Ichijou Sakai dashed through the woods trying to find his uncle, when he saw another pillar of light appear near the first one. He stared for a few moments, recognizing the light.

"Isn't that…"

He dashed in the direction of the new pillar.

* * *

Honda stood watching as Sakai fell unconscious.

"I guess you failed, Tres Espana…"

Two figures appeared near Muneshige's body as he turned to speak to them. One had raven-black hair that was tied to a ponytail, and had longer sleeves on his uniform than the standard model. The other had purple hair and large mechanical arms that appeared to look like shields attached to her shoulder.

"Tes," the purple-haired girl responded. "We will now retreat with Muneshige-sama."

"You ok with how things went? I don't mind going another round…"

"Tes, there is little time left for another fight, and we will have another opportunity to battle in the future."

Honda grinned before tossing Tonbokiri to the black-haired young man.

"Give that to my daughter if you want another rematch. She'd be a lot more interesting, I promise."

The two fell silent as they left quickly.

"So, will you take him away for me?"

"Judge…" Ichijou appeared, walking to his uncle and picking him up from the ground. He retrieved Maken and turned to face Honda.

"I guess this is it for you?"

"Yeah…" Honda scratched his head as he smiled. "Tell Futayo that I'm sorry about this, and watch over her…" He ruffled Ichijou's hair as he turned to walk to his lord.

"Goodbye, Sensei…"

Ichijou disappeared shortly leaving Tadakatsu alone on the path towards destruction

* * *

"Are you sure that's what you want?"

"Judge, please inform everyone for me"

Tsukasa frowned, but nodded his head.

"You know they won't take it so easily."

"Judge, but it is for the best…"

The door swung open to reveal a student standing in the doorway out of breath.

"H…Hori…zon…."

"Hello, Masazumi-sama…"

* * *

Tori ran through the streets, ignoring the pain in his legs and his lack of oxygen. He needed to see her again, to talk to her, to find the truth. But as he ran, a giant airship flew above Musashi, with people climbing down and surrounding Blue Thunder.

"Horizon!"

He cried out to the automatron next to Seijun, both surrounded by people in dark uniforms and wearing goggles, giving the appearance of a military spy. He reached out his hand as he ran faster, but something heavy fell on top of him, keeping him from moving. He quickly turned to see who it was, and discovered it was another person from the group, keeping him pinned down. He turned further to see that everyone else who followed him was also restrained and unable to help. As he struggled to move, a slightly plump, middle-aged man took a few steps before shouting out an announcement.

"THIS AREA IS NOW UNDER THE CONTROL OF K.P.A. ITALIA BY THE ORDER OF THE TESTAMENT UNION!"

Tori continued to struggle with all his might, staring at Horizon with desperation to reach the one he loved.

"Horizon…."

He reached out his hand as far as he could until he felt a sudden punch on the top of his head, his body was weak, and he could barely move when he heard Tsukasa speak in a low voice. "You can't do anything to stop them right now…"

He listened as the footsteps around him began to walk to the same spot before a large silence fell. He looked up, and saw the figure of Horizon being led to the airship above them.

"Horizon! Come back! Horizon!"

But despite his cries and wails, there was nothing he could do. Horizon was too far for him to reach.

As rain began to pour down on the area, as he began to fall into despair, a song rang out through Musashi. The song was the "Song of Passage", sung by the one who sang for them every day, every morning, since her arrival. It was Horizon, singing as if giving a farewell gift to everyone she met the past year.

* * *

Matatsudaira smiled, and spoke a few words to himself before making his final announcement.

"NOW THEN, LET THE CLASSES BEGIN!"

As if activating a trigger, the Platonic Plate Reactor finally overloaded, creating a giant explosion which enveloped the entire country of Mikawa. Leaving nothing but a giant crater, and signaling the beginning of the end.

* * *

**April 21, 1648 Testament Era, 6:00 A.M. – P-01s was officially acknowledged as the new ruler of Mikawa, Horizon Ariadust. She was also charged with Mikawa's destruction, and was sentenced to suicide.**

* * *

_**Guess I finally made it. I'm probably going to do a few sidestories before getting back to the main series. Sorry if it seems disappointing, but even I need a break from all this sometimes. Also, I personally really like this chapter, so if you have any ideas to improve this PLEASE let me know.**_

_**Also, THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER! Just letting you all know before you jump to conclusions.**_


	14. Side Story - To be by your side(part 1)

_**Beginning of the compilations of side-stories...**_

* * *

**To be by your side**

We met together out of chance

-Eventually we started to get together like a couple

I wanted to continue living those days

-But after what happened, we suddenly broke apart.

Sometimes I wonder,

-Once in a while, I'd wonder,

Would it have been better if we never met?

* * *

_About one year ago..._

* * *

A young girl stood with a solemn face. She took her right hand and brushed her dark hair as the wind blew past. Masazumi Honda was standing over her mother's gravestone. It has been only a couple of weeks since she came to Musashi, and she still wasn't used to the area. She would occasionally think about how her life may have turned out differently if her mother was alive, but quickly dismissed the thought, knowing it was impossible. After all, her mother was "spirited away", and when that happens to someone, not a trace of them is left.

She turned to walk back to Ariadust Acadamy, when she suddenly saw another student near the stairs. He had messy black hair and a bandanna that was partially wrapped around his head, but he looked vaguely familiar. As she began to move closer, the student turned around and appeared slightly shocked at her sudden appearance.

"Honda?"

"Um…you're…."

"Kazu Hayashi, I'm in your class."

"Right, Hayashi…what are you doing here?"

Kazu pointed his finger up.

"I'm just here to watch the sky. Nothing much really…"

Masazumi grinned. "Guess I shouldn't have asked…"

"And what about you?"

She suddenly frowned a bit before turning her head away. She wasn't comfortable with sharing her past right now, but she didn't know what else to say.

Kazu must have noticed because he placed a hand on her head and grinned.

"It's fine. You're the transfer student, so you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

He started to walk down the stairs while casually waving his hand.

"I'll see you in class tomorrow"

Masazumi stared at the spot he stood moments ago and sighed.

"Kazu Hayashi..."

* * *

The next day Masazumi found herself standing in front of her mother's grave again. It became a habit to come by every day since her arrival in Musashi, and she didn't know what else to do with the time she had. After staring at the grave for a few minutes, she eventually turned to leave when she saw Kazu lying on the ground near the steps.

"Again?"

She moved closer as he turned his head and grinned.

"Hey…"

"What are you doing this time?"

"Same as yesterday, just watching the sky…"

She chuckled. "What could be so interesting about the sky?"

He answered sheepishly. "Well to be honest, I'm just using it as an excuse to get out of the work everyone wants to give me…"

"_So he's the one that everyone had a meeting about earlier…"_

She sat down nearby, turned her own head towards the sky and smiled.

"Are you always doing something like this?"

He shrugged his shoulders, making her laugh a bit.

"What kind of an answer is that?"

"I didn't know what to say…"

Masazumi smiled sadly. "Sometimes, I wish I could do that so easily…"

Kazu sat up."Well why can't you?

"Sometimes, you need to make some sacrifices, even if you don't want to"

He gave a slightly confused look before moving the conversation along.

"Have you gotten used to life here in Musashi yet?"

She shook her head.

"That's fine, I used to be new here too, so I understand your problem."

The two sat in silence for a while before Kazu suddenly stood up.

"Let's go somewhere else."

"Huh?"

"C'mon, let's get going…"

Kazu grabbed Masazumi's hand and started to drag her along.

"Hey, wait a minute!"

* * *

"Hey Kazu, how are you doing?"

A stupid-looking, brown-haired student greeted the pair in the middle of the street while smiling. It was Tori Aoi, another one of Masazumi's classmates.

"Oh, Seijun's here too!"

Seijun, it was the nickname she was given based on the fact that she was going to be a politician(Seiji-ka). It wasn't a bad nickname, but she felt uncomfortable every time she heard someone refer to her as Seijun. It felt like they already had expectations that she needed to fulfill, even though she wasn't close to her goal yet.

"So, what exactly are the both of you doing here?" He leaned in closer to Kazu with a suspicious tone. "Are you both on a date?"

"No, I just wanted to show her a few places…"

A loud laughter was heard nearby, coming from a beautiful, bright-haired girl with a sizably large bust. Kimi Aoi, Tori's older sister, appeared near her brother while staring at the two with a proud look in her eyes.

"My goodness, Kazu-kun doesn't even realize the truth, or maybe he does know, but he's just pretending not to."

"Realize what Sis?"

Kimi gives a thumbs up and speaks in a serious tone.

"It really IS a date!"

Kazu replies in an unenthusiastic tone.

"No it isn't…"

"So it really is a date!" Tori also gives a thumbs up.

"I said it isn't…"

"Then, a secret rendezvous?"

"No"

"Forbidden love?"

"That's not even close"

"First sight?"

"We're in the same class…."

The two siblings continued their accusations, which Kazu continued to deny. Eventually, it began to get really troublesome, leading Masazumi to finally kick Tori in the ******** and send him flying off somewhere else. The three of them stared until he finally landed, where Kimi decided to go retrieve her "stupid brother" and punish him for being "too stupid" for his own good.

"Geez, they just don't understand…."

Masazumi sighed as Kimi left to find Tori, and turned back to Kazu.

"It was nice of you to offer, but I don't think it's a good idea to go to wherever you were thinking off…"

"True, guess we'll just meet again at the usual spot from now on…"

"I guess so…" Masazumi stopped halfway after realizing what Kazu just said.

"From now…on?"

Kazu scratched his head. "Don't take it the wrong way, I just think you need to have someone you know to start getting closer to everyone."

"R-Right, o-of course…"

After saying goodbye, the two left in different directions. However, Masazumi couldn't help but feel excited about her next meeting with Kazu tomorrow.

* * *

Kazu entered Blue Thunder as most of the other students of Plum-3 were already sitting inside, asking for orders and talking amongst each other about random things.

Kazu took a seat when a yellowed-haired girl with a cheerful face came up to him.

"So, could you bring Masazumi-san over?"

"I tried, but Toori and Kimi came by, and…."

"I see, you don't need to say anything else…"

The Aoi siblings were known for well-known for two things. The first was their ability to unexpectedly appear in unusual times and do something crazy. The second….well nobody needed to mention anything about 'that day'.

"Heidi! I need you to come over here and help me sort these orders out!"

"Ok, coming Shiro-kun! Later Kazu!"

Heidi left as Kazu sat down with a sigh.

"Masazumi Honda…"

* * *

_**Ok, to be honest, this is the first romance chapter I've EVER done. If it's cheesy and/or weird, sorry about that.**_


	15. Side Story - To be by your side(part 2)

Masazumi found herself fidgeting in place as she stood at the top of the stairs. She didn't know why she felt so nervous all of a sudden. They were just going to meet each other, that's all.

"He's just a classmate. It's not like I love him or anything…"

She sighs in depression and unconsciously puts a hand to her chest.

"I mean, I don't think he'd…."

She suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder which startled her. She turned to see Kazu standing nearby.

"Did I surprise you?"

They sat down near the gravestone and simply stared for a few minutes. Eventually, Kazu broke the silence.

"So…" he began. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Huh? Uh, n-no…"

Several more minutes passed.

"Then, do you mind if I ask you something instead?"

"Sure, go ahead…"

"Why are you avoiding everyone else?"

She gave a surprised face before quickly changing to a false smile.

"W-What on earth do you mean?"

"You're avoiding everyone else, like you're afraid of something. Why?"

She continued to stare at her mother's gravestone as she spoke softly.

"I'm…not really like everyone else…"

Kazu looked a bit confused.

"Everyone else gets along easily, because they all know each other since they were kids. I don't want to break up that familiar feeling…"

"Hey," Kazu puts a hand on Masazumi and looks at her eyes. "Nobody's going to be uncomfortable with you around. We already know each other in school, and they've been asking you to come and join them…"

She slowly brushes off his hand. "No, I don't think I'll really be a part of them, ever…"

They simply sat for a few minutes before Kazu spoke up.

"Then, how about the two of us just meet together like this."

"Huh?" Masazumi blushed as she turned her head.

"I'm saying that you should start small. You can just get used to me for starters, and maybe you'll get used to everyone else eventually."

"I….I don't know…"

He grabs her hand and pulls her up as he stands and stares at her eyes.

"Just try it."

Masazumi stared for a few minutes before slowly moving away.

"No, you'd probably want to be with someone else…"

Kazu took a step forward. "Not really, I feel more comfortable with you…"

"I…I'm not really …I have things I need to do…."

"I'll wait if I need to…"

"I'm…" She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm…not really…..much of a….woman…."

Kazu paused for a moment before giving his reply.

"Actually, that's kind of what I like about you…"

Masazumi quickly looked up. She felt her face turning red as she looked at Kazu.

"See…I kinda have a thing for flat chests…."

The air turned eerily silent as Masazumi suddenly walked up to Kazu.

"Huh?"

She punches him in the face, sending him into the air before he fell on his back. When Kazu woke up. He saw her sitting nearby, watching him.

"So you're awake now…"

He expected her to do something else painful, but as he braced himself for the impact…

"I'll try it…"

"Eh?"

"I said I'll try meeting with you for a while to see how it goes…"

He stared for a few minutes before smiling and offering his hand.

"Well then, nice to meet you Masazumi Honda…"

She smiled and took his hand while helping him up.

"Same here, Kazu Hayashi…"

* * *

Since that day, the two would meet at the same spot to talk with each other. They would discuss about class and their classmates, as well as the future. The two would occasionally laugh together and comfort one another when the moment came.

Days passed by, which eventually turned to weeks, then a few months. Eventually the two became much closer than before. They would talk more casually with each other. They grew to love each other, but couldn't really admit it. However, they were happy, and even though they didn't speak about their own pasts, they decided that as long as they had each other, that was all that mattered.

Unfortunately, everything changed on that day…

* * *

_Several months later..._

* * *

"Father, what are you saying?"

Masazumi was at her home, talking to her father Masanobu, the politician, who kept his eyes closed as he spoke with firm determination.

"It is as I said Masazumi, I believe that there is something keeping you from seeing what you truly want in life."

She thought about anything different in her life, about anything out of the ordinary, but nothing came to mind. However, a scene of Kazu suddenly appeared, making her shocked at the very idea of thinking Kazu had anything to do with her problems.

"_It's not him…..right?"_

She shook her head and confronted her father.

"It can't be, I haven't done anything wrong or disapproving to you. I've followed everything you've said."

Her father didn't move an inch, but spoke in a slightly louder and disappointed tone.

"You don't understand. You have done something that greatly disappoints me." He stood up and began to walk away.

"I want you to think carefully about what's important, what you truly want, and do what is right"

Masazumi sat for what felt like hours, thinking hard about what she could do to, what she needed to change. But after going through her life several times, she selected the decision she believed her father wantedt.

* * *

As she began to walk up towards her mother's gravestone, she noticed Kazu was waiting on top of the stairs, smiling. She forced a smile, bitterly thinking about what was going to happen next.

"Hey Masazumi-kun, how are you doing?"

"Fine…" she quietly spoke.

Kazu began to look concerned and began to move closer.

"Hey, is there something wrong?"

"I…" Masazumi paused for a moment. "I…think we need to break up…"

Silence fell in the area, the wind blew nearby, as if taking the opportunity to howl before being confined to silence once more.

"H-Hey, that's not really funny…"

"It wasn't supposed to be a joke…" She smiled bitterly. "I…really think we should…break up…"

"W-Was it something I said? C'mon, can't you tell me?"

Masazumi stayed silent.

"Hey….say something….."

"…."

"Damnit, who told you to say that?"

"…"

"Tell me. I'll go take care of them…."

"….nobody…."

"You don't have to lie….I won't tell them, I promise…."

"…I…..I'm not….lying…."

Silence fell once more as neither of them moved. It was only a few minutes, but the time seemed to go on for an eternity until Kazu finally broke the silence.

"Then…is it really….because of me?"

"…."

"Is it because…you think I could get you in trouble?"

"…."

"So…I guess this is my fault…" he scratched the back of this head. "Guess I shouldn't have gotten involved with the 'chancellor-in-training'…"

"No….it's not…."

"It's fine, really. But, you should have just said something if you were too afraid to make sacrifices…"

At those words, Masazumi recalled the memories of her past. She angrily walked up to Kazu and slapped him hard on the cheek. He fell on his bottom, gently rubbing his injury while staring at Masazumi.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"Don't…ever….talk about sacrifices!"

"What's wrong with you?" he stood up and moved closer. "You're the one who thinks she has more to lose than everyone else!"

"I** have** lost more than everyone else! You don't know anything about what I've been through!"

"Maybe not, but what you've been through couldn't be as bad as what several other families have gone through, maybe hundreds!"

"What makes you have the right to say that?! You're always acting so carefree, you don't take any responsibilities, and you probably didn't have any trouble in your own life!"

Kazu suddenly recalled his own past. He recalled the face of a boy, his old friend, and their happy faces. It was suddenly replaced with him sitting in an empty field, blood dripping from his forehead.

"You…" he stood up and pushed her down. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH! THE PAIN THAT I'VE HAD!"

"You don't have any right to say that to me!"

"Shut up….JUST SHUT UP!"

Kazu turned around and left quickly while Masazumi turned to her mother's grave and sat nearby.

* * *

Rain fell from the sky, pouring heavily down on the land below. A student with long violet hair, tied in a ponytail, and a B-cup breast, was walking through the street of Musashi with an umbrella. She smiled as she thought about her meal at Blue Thunder, as well as her plans for the next few days, when she saw a figure standing in the rain. Moving closer, she recognized the figure and ran up to meet him

"Kazu!"

The figure looked up with a sad emptiness in his eyes, which made her worry.

"…Ayumi…"

She took his hand and dragged him into Blue Thunder while trying to keep them both dry with her umbrella. Inside, she made him sit down as she asked for an order.

"Excuse me! I'd like a towel and something warm to eat! Anyone?"

A middle-aged woman came in with a confused look. She glanced as Kazu and quickly understood the situation.

"P-01s! I need you to bring me a towel right now!"

The middle-aged woman went back to prepare some soup while a silver-haired automaton came by with a towel. Ayumi grabbed it and began to dry off Kazu, who sat quietly with the same empty look he had when she first saw him.

"What happened to you?" She asked with concern. "What were you thinking, standing out in the rain like this?"

Kazu didn't say anything, but he held his head down to hide the tears that began to fall from his eyes. Ayumi didn't say anything else, but slowly wrapped her arms around him and sadly smiled. She didn't know what happened, but she knew that right now, he just needed some comfort. She wanted to ask who did this, who was responsible, but knew that until he could get back on his own feet, she need to stay by his side.

* * *

Masazumi sat in the rain, ignoring the fact that her uniform would be soaked, and dismissing the thought of taking shelter. She sat with eyes as empty as the sea, staring at her mother's gravestone, as if looking at the body of a dead animal.

Several Kuromo Algae hopped near her and simply stared.

"Masazumi," they spoke in unison. "Are you ok?"

"…."

"Did something happen? Was it bad?"

"…"

"Aren't you going to go somewhere dry?"

"…."

"Masazumi, what's wrong?"

"I….I….."

Masazumi broke down into tears, releasing the emotions she held back since she made her decision. The Kuromo Algae gathered around her, as if trying to comfort her as best as they could. However, the tears fell endlessly, like the rain around them, for hours and hours.

* * *

_**And that's the end of this sidestory. Next one will come up eventually...**_


	16. Sidestory - Spirit Sword(Part 1)

**Spirit Sword**

* * *

"Hey! Put more spirit into your thrusts!"

"But I….I don't know if I…"

"Are you really that weak? My daughter is doing better than you!"

"I….I…."

"ENOUGH! Futayo, end this right now!"

"Judge, as you wish father…."

A scream was heard through Mikawa in the Honda household, as a body fell to the floor with its arms fully stretched out. A young man named Ichijou Sakai, stared at the ceiling as an elderly man and a young woman with long black hair, both came up to him.

"Geez Ichijou, that was pathetic" the old man chuckled as Ichijou struggled to sit up.

"It's not my fault sensei, I'm still getting used to fighting…" he turned his head to the young woman, Futayo Honda, who stood with a proud look. "You've been teaching her to fight since she could hold this thing," he held up his practice weapon as he spoke. "I've just started a few weeks ago…"

"First, I've told you, you can call me Tadakatsu like your old man does…."

The "old man" that Tadakatsu was talking about was Ichijou's uncle, Tadagatsu Sakai. An old friend and an expert swordsman. But the only reason Ichijou was with the Honda family was because his mother wanted him to learn from Tadakatsu, instead of his uncle. It was his 'bad habits' or something like that.

"And second, I may have taught my daughter a bit longer…" Tadakatsu gently rubbed his hand on the top of his daughter's hair. "But that doesn't mean you have to use that as an excuse for losing!"

"Judge…" he replied grudgingly. Even though it was true that he didn't have to mention anything, he couldn't help it. Her strikes **were** faster than his, and her judgment in battle was better. He could barely keep up with her technique and speed while sparring.

"Now then, we decided that the loser would do the laundry today, so…"

Ichijou started ignoring him at this point. He was already used to the fact that he was treated like a maid in this household. He knew that it _probably_ wasn't on purpose, but it still pissed him off anyways.

"…before Sakai gets here…"

Ichijou was surprised.

"Hey,"

Tadakatsu turned to face him.

"What did you say about Uncle?"

"I said he's going to come over for a visit today. So make sure you get everything done before this afternoon…"

Ichijou picked himself off the floor and started to work on his chores for the day.

"_What is uncle coming for_?" He thought to himself.

* * *

"Yo, Tadakatsu…" An elderly man with gray hair and a calm face was standing at the entrance. Tadakatsu slapped him on the back as he motioned the man inside.

"Come in Sakai! We've been waiting for ya!"

The two walked into the living room as Futayo and Ichijou came back from finishing their chores.

"Hey Ichijou, how are you doing here?"

"Hello uncle. It's good to see you again." He slightly turned to his left, motioning to Futayo and Tadakatsu. "Everyone in the Honda household has been very kind to me."

"Yeah, the kid's a real help around here! I don't really mind keeping him around as long as he needs to!"

Tadakatsu laughed as he started patting Ichijou's head. Tadagatsu scratched his own head as the small group went inside.

* * *

"So Sakai, what have you been doing lately?"

The two friends smoked as the two children sat in silence.

"Well, I'm the principal at Ariadust Acadamy now. I've been pretty busy getting things set up for the new school year…"

"Ha Ha Ha. It must be hard to know you can't flirt with the girls nowadays!"

"Geez, don't say that…" he looks at Ichijou. "So how are your parents doing Ichijou?"

"Fine…" Ichijou mostly kept quiet about his parents, partly because of a grudge for forcing him to learn spear-fighting, but also because they were pretty busy nowadays to pay much attention to him.

Tadagatsu frowned a bit before smoking his pipe. "They're still working, huh?"

"Judge. They're still discussing about the idea of being 'spirited away'. I think they sent me here because they thought I would distract them from their work…"

"C'mon…" he pats Ichijou's head as he spoke. "They don't really think that. I'm sure they just think it's better for you to know some self-defense…"

"Maybe…"

Ichijou turned his head away from his uncle with a depressing look. Tadagatsu sighed before speaking.

"Well then Tadakatsu, why don't you show me what these kids have learned from you?"

Tadakatsu smiled wide. "Heh, you'll be amazed at the skill that these two have at such a young age…"

* * *

The group went outside, where Ichijou and Futayo each held a practice spear to duel with.

The two bowed, they took a few steps in opposite directions, and made their stance.

Futayo made a quick dash towards Ichijou, who flinched before trying to stand firm. She launched a flurry of stikes as Ichijou attempts to parry each of them. However, his movements were slower, so he staggered a bit before launching a counterattack. Futayo swiftly sped past his attacks and launched a few more blows before speeding behind him. Ichijou tried to block her next attack, but as he turned, she swung her spear and landed a blow on his left side, making him fly a short distance as he struggled to get up. He ran up to Futayo and lauched his own flurry of attacks, which she blocked most of before getting a blow in. Ichijou swung his spear as hard as he could, but she countered with the edge of her own weapon, striking part of the handle, and breaking it in half.

"Well, guess that's that…" Tadakatsu began to raise his hand to end the duel when Tadagatsu suddenly stopped him.

"Wait a minute…"

Ichijou stood up and gripped the remains of his weapon before charging at his opponent. Futayo charged back, attempting to stab him before he could reach. However, he quickly moved to the side, surprising her as she saw him take a swing at her and landing a blow. She stumbled a bit before getting back up and charging at him once again. He jumped, dodged her attack, and began to rush towards her for the finishing blow.

"Is it…"

"It's over…."

But right after the two elders spoke, Ichijou suddenly tripped over the over half of his weapon, launching into Futayo as both stumbled to the ground.

"Aaahhh, that wasn't supposed to happen…"

As Ichijou started to get up, he felt his hand push on something…soft? He looked down to Futayo's blushing face. He looked further down to see his hand touching her breast before jumping back.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to…."

The two elders laughed as they walked up to each of them.

"Looks like you've really got the old man's blood in you after all!" Tadakatsu rubbed Ichijou's hair as he spoke. "But not just the 'accidents'," his laughter died down as he spoke more seriously. "You're born to be a sword-user like he was."

Ichijou was quiet. He felt the same the moment he used the broken spear to fight, the feeling of swiftness and the flexibility in his technique. The spear felt like something was chaining him down, like a seal keeping him weak, but when it broke, it felt…right, like he was released from the chains.

"The problem is, I can't really teach you much about sword fights, that's something that your old man should teach you…"

The two looked at each other and nodded before Tadagatsu walked up to Ichijou and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"How about you come with me to Musashi?"

Ichijou looked up to his face.

"Why?"

"Because, we've already seen that you're better at using a sword than a spear, and it's better that you learn something that you're more comfortable with for the future."

Ichijou turned his head sadly. "But…"

"It's fine." Tadakatsu spoke while grinning. "Course I'm gonna lose a pretty good housemaid, but it really is better to learn something useful for the unknown future…"

Ichijou thought for a while before nodding his head.

"Ok!"

The young boy left to pack his things as Futayo began to clean up the area and store away their practice weapons.

"I'll go talk to his parents…" Tadagatsu began as he scratched his head. "It's my sister after all…"

"Won't it be awkward? You both haven't really spoken since the argument you know?"

There was a long pause as Tadagatsu frowned from the memory of that day.

"Yeah…." He grinned. "But then, I guess it's time we made up…"

He turned to meet his nephew at the entrance as his old friend sadly watched before shortly following behind.

* * *

Ichijou ran with a sack filled with his belongings on his back. He slowed to a stop as stared at his uncle, smiling and waving for his arrival. He took a deep breath before walking to the gate. He noticed Tadakatsu and Futayo were also waiting for him, and wondered if there was something he forgot.

"Well, looks like you're finally leaving us…" Tadakatsu smiled as he spoke. "But feel free to come back anytime you want to ditch this idiot!"

"Hey, hey…" Tadagatsu scowled at his old friend. "No need to say that…"

Futayo walked up to Ichijou and held out her hand. He opened his hand below hers, and saw a small butterfly-shaped pendant land on it.

"So you won't forget…"

Ichijou held the pendant up and stared before putting it away in his pocket.

"Thank you…"

Futayo blushed as she walked to the house. The two elders chuckled as they watched the somewhat heart-warming sight.

"You're already a better guy than you're old man was…" Tadakatsu nudged Ichijou, who gave a confused look.

"I not proud of what you just said, but it's true…"

"But you know, I'm not gonna let you take her away from me! Not as long as I'm still breathing!" He pounded his chest proudly.

Ichijou shrugged before moving closer to his uncle and bowing.

"It was short, but thank you for everything sensei…"

Tadakatsu grinned. "It was fun having you around, I'm really gonna miss you…"

They smiled before turning and parting ways. But about halfway to Musashi, Ichijou took out the pendant he got from Futayo, and hung it around his neck.

"We'll meet again…someday…."

* * *

_**Everyone who thought something dirty from the first few sentences, shame on you all...**_


	17. Sidestory - Spirit Sword(Part 2)

"So, are you ready to see your parents again?" Tadagatsu asked as they got closer to his home. A few years had passed since Ichijou started training with his uncle, and they decided to take a couple days off to see how his parents were doing.

He shrugged, acting as if he didn't really care, but his face gave a grin as he thought of his parents' faces when they all got together. At the gate, he quickly opened the door and ran to their room smiling as he looked inside…

* * *

Tadagatsu stood at the entrance, smoking through his pipe as he began to reminisce about the past

"_It's been several years now…"_ he thought.

* * *

"_Stop it! You can't continue working on this!"_

"_I'm can't! This research could help us make a breakthrough in the methods of being 'spirited away'!"_

"_You're playing with fire here! If you don't stop, you might end up a victim to the very thing you're studying!"_

"_Sorry Nii-san, but I'm not going to stop, even if you're asking me as family!"_

"_Then what about your child! Think about what this might do to your kid!"_

"…_I know exactly what would happen…"_

"_Then…"_

"_But that's why…I have to do this…"_

* * *

Tadagatsu scratched his head as he chuckled nervously. "You always were a hard-headed little sister…"

Suddenly, he heard a loud cry from inside. He dashed towards the sound where he found Ichijou with his head down and on the floor, with a defeated look. Tadagatsu slowly looked inside the room and dropped his pipe as his face became pale from the shock.

Blood was painted on the wall, in the symbol of a circle with a line painted across. It was a sign of being "spirited away", and from the look of it, both of Ichijou's parents were the victims.

Ichijou started to get up and walk to the symbol when his uncle moved in front of him and wrapped his arms around him to shield him from the sight.

"Dad! Mom!" Ichijou struggled to break free from his uncle's grip and run to the symbol, as if hoping it could somehow bring them back. However, Tadagatsu held him tightly and carried him outside. Ichijou continued to struggle from Tadagatsu's hold, but his efforts were futile as he cried all the way until they reached his uncle's house.

* * *

_A couple weeks later..._

* * *

Ichijou sat by the tree in the yard, staring at the ground with an empty look in his eyes. Anyone who saw him might have thought that it was a living corpse.

"He's been like this for a few weeks now. He barely eats, he barely sleeps, and barely even moves. Over." An automatron spoke to Tadagatsu, who was watching him from the window.

Tadagatsu scratched his head in confusion.

"But there's nothing I else I can do…"

He needed to get Ichijou to come back to his senses, but with the way he is, he'd need somebody who's pretty straightforward, persistent, possibly annoying. Preferably someone who's around his age.

Suddenly, he had an idea.

"I'm going to head to my office for a bit…"

* * *

"So, Ichijou, are you going to be fine?"

Ichijou silently nodded his head. However, he still had the same empty look in his eyes.

The two of them silently walked to Ariadust Acadamy, where they saw other students chatting away and laughing. Tadagatsu turned to look at his nephew, who just walked alongside him, as if in a deep trance. He hoped that leaving Ichijou in the academy would eventually help him come to his senses, but there were some doubts about whether this transfer would actually work…

"Well, if it isn't the headmaster himself!"

A loud confident voice yelled out as Tadagatsu turned to see Makiko Oriotorai, one of the teachers at the academy.

"Yo, it's been a while!"

Makiko walked up to the two and leaned towards Ichijou.

"And who's this guy?" She stood straight to face the headmaster. "Don't tell me he's your son!" she laughed.

"Actually, he is."

There was a sudden pause as Makiko started to tremble.

"Y-You mean….b-but y-y-ou…."

"Well, I should say he's more of an adopted son. From my sister…" his face was grinning, but his eyes were sad.

Makiko looked confused, so he decided to tell her what happened…

* * *

"I see, so they ended up 'sprited away'. How ironic…"

"Yeah…"

Makiko gave an apologetic look to Tadagatsu, who embarrassingly stopped her.

"It's fine. My hard-headed sister was always doing whatever she wanted without thinking about the consequences!"

The three stood silently until Makiko spoke up.

"Well then, I guess you want to send this guy to my class?"

"Yeah, I think it'd be a good idea to let him see the crazy atmosphere of your class and see if it'll snap him out of this."

"Well then. Nice to meet you Ichijou!"

She extended an arm toward him, who just stared indifferently without any reaction.

Makiko and Tadagatsu sadly watched until a bell rang out.

"Shoot! I gotta get to the classroom. Ichijou! I'll see you in class!"

She ran towards the large building nearby as Tadagatsu and Ichijou watched.

"Well then, shall we get going?"

* * *

The classroom was filled with the student's voices as Makiko Orotorai walked inside.

"Ok everyone, listen up!"

The class continued talking and ignored Makiko's announcement, leading to an unexpected "accident" within the class that left at least half of them with large bumps on their head.

"As I was trying to say…" Makiko brought the class' attention to the door, where a young boy with wavy black hair and brown eyes came to the front, staring ahead at nothing in particular.

"Um…w-why don't you introduce yourself?"

The boy took a piece of chalk and wrote his name on the board before turning around and introducing himself.

"Ichijou Sakai. Nice to meet you all…"

The classroom was silent. Makiko began to slightly panic and decided to continue on.

"Um, I-Ichijou is new, so we need to make sure he gets used to things here, ok?"

Silence continued to fill the air as everyone stared with curiosity.

"Uh, Ichijou, why don't you sit over there, right next to Kimi?"

Makiko pointed at the seat next to a light brown haired girl, who was looking at manga without paying attention.

"Judge…"

Ichijou walked up to the seat he was directed to, and sat down.

"Well then…let's start class…"

* * *

_Lunchtime..._

* * *

Ichijou took out his lunch when suddenly two of his classmates, a brown-haired boy and a silver-haired girl, appeared in front of him with happy faces.

"Yo, new guy! I'm Tori Aoi! One of your classmates!"

"I'm Horizon Ariadust. Nice to meet you!"

Ichijou sighed as he started to go back to his lunch.

"Hey! New guy? Ichijou?"

He pretended not to notice them and took a few bites before he felt a sharp pinch on his face.

Horizon was pinching his cheeks, making weird face and straining his muscles. He tried to brush off her hands, but she held tightly until he finally had enough.

"Stop it!"

Horizon released her grip and smiled. "So you can talk!"

Ichijou ignored them for the rest of lunch.

* * *

_After school..._

* * *

Ichijou was walking back to his uncle's house when suddenly Horizon and Tori came up to him.

"Hey, hey, is Sakai's house filled with all those automatrons as maids?"

"Tori, why are you asking him that?"

"Because, that would make him a famous big shot in our class!"

"But that's President Sakai! Ichijou isn't like that!"

Ichijou tried to walk faster, but the other two would just keep up at the same pace until they got to his house. A couple of automatrons were cleaning the yard when they saw him enter the gate with his two classmates.

"Welcome home Sakai. Over." One of them greeted.

Ichijou just ignored them and went to his room. He tossed his bag on the floor and started to lie on his back and closed his eyes…

* * *

_A dark field surrounded Ichijou as he looked around. His parents were standing a few feet away, talking to each other with their backs turned to him. He called out to them, but they didn't seem to hear him. He ran as fast as he could, but the distance between them seem to grow larger and larger. He ran faster and faster, but he still couldn't catch them._

_Suddenly, a red, thick liquid started to flood the area around them. Ichijou tried to swim through, but he seemed to get heavier and heavier the longer he was in the mysterious liquid. He tried to reach his parents, but they sank below the surface, with no sign of survival. Ichijou panicked and looked around quickly, calling out for them, but he suddenly turned his head up, to see the blood symbol above him. The symbol appeared to slowly change, and began to split into two, each half began to sharpen into triangles…no. They became blood-pitch eyes. He heard laughter as he suddenly sank. He tried to cry out, to yell for help, but nothing came out as he sank deeper into the darkness…._

* * *

When he opened his eyes, he suddenly saw Tori looking down on him. He instinctively tried to sit up, and ended up hitting his head to Tori's, resulting in both lying on the ground with their head in pain.

"Tori!" Horizon was also in his room looking like a mother disappointed in her son. "You can't just enter someone else's house without asking!"

"_You're not doing any better…"_Ichijou thought.

"But, I really wanted to see the inside of this place!"

"But you're bothering our new classmate!"

"So? He doesn't really mind!" Tori starts slapping Ichijou's back. "Right new guy?"

Ichijou was about say something to them when suddenly, an automatron appeared at the doorway holding a tray.

"Sakai-san, I have brought you and your friends snacks as refreshments. Please enjoy. Over."

The automatron placed the try on the ground and bowed as she left. Tori quickly rushed over to the tray and sat down before eating while Horizon sighed and sat in front of the confused and slightly annoyed Ichijou before apologizing for Tori's behavior.

"Hey…" Tori spoke with his mouthful of snacks. "Lts fsflajsf asdkfhshnw ahfkasfk…."

"Tori! Don't talk with your mouth full!" Horizon reprimanded.

He took a few seconds to swallow everything before repeating his previous statement.

"Let's go explore this place!"

"Huh?" Ichijou was surprised by this declaration.

"Yeah! Let's see what the president's house is like!" Horizon agreed enthusiastically.

"But…"

"C'mon!" Tori grabbed one of Ichijou's arms as Horizon grabbed the other. Before he could say anything, he suddenly found himself being quickly dragged by the two against his will.

* * *

"Welcome home Sakai. Ichijou-san came home with visitors today. Over."

"You mean he's already made friends?"

"Actually, he seemed annoyed that the other two had followed him, leading to the conclusion that they were technically intruders. Over."

Tadagatsu laughed at this remark. "By the way, where is Ichijou? Is he still here?"

"Judge." The automatron pointed at the sofa where Ichijou was lying exhausted in a death-like trance.

"Oi, oi…" Tadagatsu was disturbed by his appearance. "Shouldn't you have done something?"

"Perhaps. However, it is currently more important to make a clean environment for you than to wake up a sleeping child. The information shows that sleep allows a child to…"

"Yes, yes. I get it…" he waved his hand as he started to pick up the young boy until he noticed something on his face. He grinned before he decided to leave the boy alone and head back to work.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just think we should leave him alone for now…"

As the two left, Ichijou continued to sleep, with a faint grin left on his face.

* * *

**_One more chapter left for this sidestory, then I'll probably make one or two more before getting back to the original._**


	18. Sidestory - Spirit Sword(Part 3)

_**Hey, it's been a while since my last chapter, but with Thanksgiving break and all, it's hard to keep focus. Anyways, here's the final chapter for this sidestory(possibly will be edited in the future)**_

* * *

"Hey, hey! Ichijou!"

Ichijou turned his head to see Tori standing next to him, and slowly turned his head back to his book.

"HEY! I'M TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING ICHIJOU!"

Ichijou closed his book, and reached out for something under his desk. Tori stared curiously as he noticed something wooden coming out. Before he could ask, there was a swift movement, a loud smack, and his body was twitching on the ground. Ichijou went back to his book as some of his classmates stared at Tori's limp body. Some even poked to check if he was still alive. Horizon returned to the classroom and looked at Tori for a few seconds before walking up to Ichijou.

"Geez Ichijou, you can't just hit Tori like that, even if he did deserve it…"

Ichijou appeared to ignore her, making her frown and cross her arms, similar to a mother figure.

"Ichijou…hey, can you hear me?"

Before she could listen for a reply, Makiko entered the classroom and stood behind the front desk while the rest of the class(except for Tori) quickly rushed to their seats.

"OK, time to take a roll call…" She took a list of names and took a deep breath. "So, is anyone here absent from class besides Tori?"

"Sensei!" Tenzo Crossunite, a ninja whose face was mostly covered by a red scarf and hat, lifted his hand. "Tori-dono's on the ground so he's not actually absent."

Makiko looked at the floor and saw Tori on the ground unconscious. "How'd did he end up like that?"

Everyone turned their heads towards Ichijou who had a bored expression on his face.

"Ichijou? Do you have an explanation for why Tori's on the floor like that?"

Ichijou turned to face Makiko and sighed before replying.

"He was bothering me…"

Makiko looked at Ichijou, then at Tori, then back at Ichijou before shrugging.

"Well, he probably deserved it anyways…"

The rest of the class was a bit disturbed by this result, but silently agreed.

"Well then, ignoring Aoi for the moment, let's start class…"

* * *

"Hey, new guy!"

Ichijou turned his head to see a few of his classmates standing near him. The one who spoke was a young brown-haired boy with glasses. Neshinbara, or something like that.

"We're going to head over to 'Blue Thunder', want to join us?"

Ichijou paused and finished packing his bag before standing up.

"Thank you, but I don't think…"

Suddenly, he felt a giant impact on the back of his neck before blacking out….

* * *

"….ou c..n..th…..imi."

Ichijou began to regain consciousness as he rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find out where he was. There was a lot of tables, chairs, and…bread? He looked around a second time, and decided that he was in some sort of bakery.

"Oh, so you're finally awake!"

He turned his head to see a woman with an apron and a blue bandanna smiling in front of him. He probably looked confused because she sat down and answered questions he didn't ask yet.

"You're in 'Blue Thunder', and I'm the owner of this store. Nice to meet you!"

"Blue Thunder", that was the place that his classmates mentioned earlier.

"As for why you're here, I'll have to apologize for my daughter's behavior…"

Before he could ask, he saw a light-brown haired girl walk from behind the owner. It was the one he sat next to in class. Kimi, he thought.

"You see, she brought you over here unconscious with a group of her friends. Apparently, she chopped the back of your neck and pretty much forced you to come over…"

The two of them were smiling, but Ichijou felt something disturbing from them.

"_Probably better not to ask…."_

He looked around, but everyone else appeared to have already left.

"Unfortunately, you weren't look like you were going to wake up anytime soon, so everyone went ahead home."

He sighed before standing up and leaving, but he was suddenly pushed back into his seat by Kimi, who started to tie him to his chair.

"Wha…"

"No, no. At least eat something before you leave!" she forcefully exclaimed.

Realizing that he didn't really have a choice at this point, he asked for a small sandwich. As Kimi left to start cooking, the owner sat down and stared at the boy in front of her. Ichijou stared back with indifference.

"You know, you remind me a lot like someone I knew…"

Ichijou looked confused.

"She was a pretty interesting woman, but he was a little weird. First time I met her, she was dragged by my kids to this very place! "

The owner laughed softly at the memory.

"She was strange, but she'd come over at least once a week since then. She'd ask a lot about children and families."

Ichijou bitterly scoffed. He couldn't remember when his own parents acted even remotely friendly to him, always engrossed in their "research".

"She always looked sad when we talked though…" the owner sadly smiled as she spoke. "She told me about her son and how she felt guilty about leaving him alone for so long…"

He was slightly surprised by this.

"Why…did she leave him alone?"

"She didn't say. Maybe she wanted what was best, or maybe she thought it was better for him to be independent. Who knows…"

Kimi started walking over with a tray of food, and placed it in front of him as the owner continued.

"But if you ask me," she stood up. "I think she wanted to keep him safe from danger."

"Even if he hated her for it?"

"He probably didn't understand. It's hard being a parent sometimes…"

Ichijou thought about his own parents, how they might have done the same thing for him. He started to feel guilty from his hatred, and shed a small tear.

"…what would you say…to that son if he came by?"

The store owner smiled and hugged him as she spoke.

"I would say that he shouldn't hate them. That he should live out the life they gave him."

He silently cried.

* * *

"Oh, Ichijou!" Tadagatsu turned to watch as his nephew went to his room and returned shortly with a determined look on his face.

"Uncle, I want to resume our training!"

"Hah?"

"I've decided, I want to be strong. Strong enough to keep everything safe. Strong enough to make sure nobody feels the same way I did, ever again…"

The old man stared into his nephew's eyes, grinning as he saw the confidence brimming from them.

"Fine then, we'll start tomorrow. I gotta finish up these papers today…"

Ichijou bowed before heading out to his parent's gravestone. Tadagatsu turned and stared at an ancient sword that was displayed on his wall.

"Guess I'll have to hand you over soon…."

He smiled as he sat down to finish his work.

"_Ichijou's grown into quite a guy. I think you'd be proud of him sis…"_


	19. Sidestory - Treasure hunt(Part 1)

_**Sorry for the long wait guys. I've been pretty distracted lately and haven't had any ideas until recently. Anyways, I'm introducing a new character, given to me by metalgearhunter. Thanks for lending him, and let me know if something's wrong.**_

* * *

**Treasure Hunt**

* * *

The sun shone brightly as morning came. A young man woke up yawning and scratching his head. He went to the mirror to check his face, and adjusted his blonde hair, partially covering his eyes with his bangs. After washing up, he grabbed a piece of bread from the pantry and started walking off to Ariadust Acadamy.

"Hello Ikanakou –san!"

Hituro turned to see the smiling face of Azuma(A.K.A. the "Sniper Maiden") and gave a small bow in respect.

"Good morning"

Azuma started walking next to him as they talked about the day's events.

"So, are you doing well?"

"I guess, I've been studying for the test today, so I'm hoping I'll do well."

"That's good. I wonder how everyone else will do…"

"Well, they might be fine, all except Tori."

The maiden sighed in agreement.

"Tori-kun, he hasn't really done anything seriously at school…"

"Well, there's nothing we can really do about it…"

The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class, making the two run as fast as they could to get on time.

* * *

Entering the classroom, they began to greet the class when they suddenly saw Neshinbara the novelist, Tenzo the ninja, and Noriki a silent worker, all in a very…..unusual position.

"Um…." Hiruto began to ask what was going on, when suddenly he noticed the fallen angels, Margot and Naruze, both drawing something on their clipboards. Looking closer, he realized that the drawings were three figures in the same position that his three classmates were in right now.

Margot seemed to have noticed him, and turned her head while giving her beaming smile.

"Ah, it's Hi-kun!"

He suddenly flinched and quickly turned to sit down. Margot gave a confused look while Naruze reminded her to finish drawing for her "novel".

* * *

"Okay! Roll call!"

Makiko Orotorai, the teacher of Class Plum-3, took a list of names and marked everyone down as "present".

"So, is there anyone who's absent today?"

Kuina Tsubaki, a young girl with cream brown hair, raised her hand in response.

"Well, Shirokage's left somewhere else, Ichiojou's left with his uncle, and Masazumi is busy with her own part-time job."

"What about Tori?"

The room fell silent.

"Then he's gone off on his own again." She sets down the list. "Well, guess that means he'll just be 'punished' later on…"

Naruze and Margot started whispering to each other.

"Now then lets…."

Suddenly, Tori bursts into the room with an ero-book in his hand. Everyone turns their heads to see him smiling while walking up to the front.

"Yo everyone! Sorry to worry you, but I'm back from my business!"

* * *

After a crash, a scream, and the student chancellor tied up in bandages, the time passed as lessons continued normally before school ended. The class all agreed to meet up at "Blue Thunder".

"We're finally done…"

Margot stretched her arms and wings as she walked with Naruze and Hituro. Naruze turned her head to Hituro, who was looking uncomfortable and acting a bit strange. She smiled devilishly.

"Hey Margot, I'm gonna go ahead, why don't you take your time with Hiruto walking."

"Hm? I'll go with you…"

"No, it's ok. I'll make the order so that we'll save time."

"But…"

"Later!"

The black-winged angel flew off, leaving the two alone.

"That's weird, why did she do that?"

The white-winged angel was confused by the situation while Hituro started looking away and started waking faster

"Wait up Hi-kun!"

* * *

At Blue Thunder, the two met up with the rest of the class.

"Margot! Over here!"

Naruze was waving at her lover at a nearby table. Margot quickly ran over while Hituro slowly walked away to an empty table and sat down.

"Looks like you missed your chance, huh?" Tenzo placed a hand on his classmate, who grinned sheepishly.

"Heh, I'm fine. I don't really want to get between those two…"

"Hmm…"

"Though you seem like you'd want to try to go for Margot"

Tenzo appeared to be frowning (his face was hidden by his scarf).

"It's true, but…"

He looked towards Naruze who looked back and grinned with a dark, threatening look. Hituro noticed her face and chuckled.

"I see…."

"LET'S GO ON A TREASURE HUNT!"

Tori began to shout out of nowhere and began waving around his fork, trying to grab everyone's attention. The whole class fell silent before Adele spoke up.

"Ummm…. There isn't really any 'buried treasure nearby' that we can search for…"

"Oh really?"

Tori flashed a wide smile as everyone began to feel uncomfortable about what was going to happen next.

* * *

"So, remind me again why we're in pairs?"

Hituro walked along with Asuma as the sun began to set, following the "map" that everyone was given at the start of the hunt.

"He said it was supposed to make things 'exciting' or something like that…"

"What exactly goes through that mind of his?"

"Who knows…"

They two continued walking along for a bit until they reached the opening of a dark tunnel. They stood in front of the entrance and quickly looked around to check for any other path before giving up.

"Ready?"

"Y-Yes…"

The two entered the tunnel, waving their arms in front of them to make sure they wouldn't bump into anything as they continued to walk in a straight line. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and footsteps as they got closer to the end of the dark corridor.

After reaching the end and getting his eyesight back, he turned to Asuma.

"Are you alright?"

However, the person in front of him wasn't Asuma, but actually Margot. Hituro blushed and quickly looked away as Margot looked around.

"Huh? I thought Ga-chan was right next to me…"

"R-Really?"

* * *

Asuma and Naruze were nearby, hiding behind the bushes and trees.

"Nice Asuma!"

Naruze gave a thumbs up as Asuma sighed.

"I don't feel good about tricking him like this…"

"But it's the perfect way to get them alone like this."

"I guess…but are you sure you really want to do this?"

"Hm?"

"You both are really close to each other, and I haven't really seen either of you attracted to anyone else since we first met."

"Well, Margot has never shown it, but she felt something with Hituro that made him seem different."

"Really?"

"I just want her to be happy, so I'm letting those two be alone so that we'll see whether these feelings seem real or not…"

"I see…" Asuma smiled gently. "_I'm amazed at how strong she is…"_

"Wait, if they're supposed to be alone, then why are we following them?"

"Well, I'm not planning on giving Margot up. And if Hituro does something stupid…" she flashed out several knives in her hands. "He'll suffer the consequences!"

* * *

_**If this story seems like it was rushed, I deeply apologize. **_


	20. Sidestory - Treasure Hunt(Part 2)

Hituro and Margot continued following the map with an uncomfortable silence. They eventually managed to reach a "checkpoint" on the map. As they sat to take a quick break, Margot spoke.

"Hey, Hi-kun…"

Silence filled the air. Margot got frustrated as she moved closer to Hituro and accidentally fell forward. Hituro caught her and helped her back up before suddenly putting a bit of a distance between them.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah…."

"Good…."

A bit of time passed before Margot spoke again.

"Hi-kun…"

"Y-Yeah?"

"Do you hate me?"

"N-N-No. O-Of course not!"

"Then why are you avoiding me?"

"W-Well…."

He looks away quickly and pretends to stare at the moon.

"Nevermind" Margot sighs. "Let's just get going…"

They stood up and started walking again. But it wasn't until a few minutes later when suddenly they saw a somewhat muscular student with wavy black hair in front of them with his arms crossed.

"Ichijou?"

"Hello Hituro, Margot…"

"Um… what exactly are you doing?"

"Eliminating the competition…"

Silence fell in the area.

"Heh, that's a pretty funny joke…"

"It wasn't a joke…"

"Ok, um, why is Ichi-ga doing this?"

"Because I told him to"

Another student with long brown hair and a flower hairband appears nearby.

"Kuina?!"

She smiled as she held her fingers up to make a "peace" sign. "Yo, Hituro, Margot!"

"Why did you tell him something like this?"

"Well, this is something people do in a competition, right?"

"Umm, this isn't a competition, exactly…"

"Huh?"

"Well, we're just trying to find this 'treasure' on the map that Tori gave us…"

Kuina went into deep thought before realizing the situation.

"Now that you understand, we're just gonna leave now…"

As they started to move, however, Ichijou took the blade from his waist, and pointed it towards them.

"Wait, Ichijou, it's all a misunderstanding…"

"Well…" Kuina innocently smiled as spoke. "It seems like it'd be more fun to make it a competition anyways…"

Hiruto grabbed Margot without thinking, and started to run past the other two as fast as he could. Ichijou started to run after them. They ran through the path as fast as they could while they tried to lose their assailant, but every twist and turn that they made as they ran seemed to slow them down a bit, whereas he didn't seem to slow down even the slightest. It was as if every two steps they took, he seemed to take three. The distance began between them began to close quickly, and there didn't seem to be any options left.

"Damnit, guess there's no other choice…"

* * *

Ichijou continued to chase the two with relative ease. The charm he got from Kuina was hanging around his waist, used like a camera for his classmate to see through from a distance.

"There's a turn up ahead that they'll have to take. Get ready for a sharp turn."

"Got it"

Her foresight was helpful in the long run, but he didn't really understand why he needed to even chase them in the first place.

"Wait Ichijou, I think they're stopping up ahead. Maybe they want to talk?"

As Ichijou looked up, his classmates stood with a confident look on their face. He quickly surveyed the area, noting any possible signs of any traps they could have set up.

"Well then Ichijou, it doesn't seem like we can run away from you so easily."

Margot spoke up.

"Hey Ichi-ga, can you, maybe, pretend like you lost us, or something?"

Ichijou silently made a stance as his eyes steeled.

"Well, I guess talking was out of the question…"

Hirturo and Margot looked like they were about to act, so he activated "Soaring Wings" as he sped towards them with incredible speed. Margot raised her broom and started firing at his direction. Ichijou dodged the assult with ease, and was only a few feet away when he saw a spot of freshly dug dirt right below him. He quickly leapt back when the trap triggered, causing a small blast of air in the area. He covered his eyes to shield himself, losing sight of them in the process. After the area began to calm down, he opened his eyes and saw that they disappeared.

"Hey, Kuina…"

"Eh-heh. Sorry Ichijou, I kinda lost them…"

Ichijou sighed as he turned to head back to Kuina. There wasn't anything else he could do at this point…

* * *

Margot looked back to check if anyone was behind them.

"I think we lost him Hi-kun!"

Hituro was breathing heavily. His "teleporting" ability was useful for something like this, but it really tired him out. He tried checking the map to see where they were, but everything was a little blurry right now.

"There…doesn't seem to be….anything….familiar here…"

Margot took the map and looked around. The area looked a little familiar, but in the dark, it was pretty hard to tell.

"Hmm, guess we're lost …"

She sat down next to Hituro as they started to think about their next move. Silence hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time before one of them spoke up.

"So, Hi-kun…."

Hituro looked up.

"Can you tell me something about….yourself?"

Hituro blushed a little bit before speaking.

"Uh…l-like what?"

"Like maybe your family?"

Something cold grabbed his chest as Hituro frowned. Margot seemed to notice this since she suddenly started to apologize.

"S-Sorry. It was just the first thing on my mind. You don't need to answer if you don't want to…"

A couple of minutes passed before Hituro spoke.

"They… were like any other family…we'd eat, talk,argue….everything…."

"Were?"

Images flashed in his mind as he thought about the past…

* * *

_People were talking around him. Arguing about something trivial as he cried in the corner. Weapons and tools were stacked in rows A body was lying on the ground in a pool of blood in front of him. Machinery surrounded him, scraping and creaking as they moved around. A sword flashed. A symbol of blood was painted in the room._

* * *

"They were…'Sprited Away'…"

The two stayed quiet before Hituro stood up and took the map.

"We should just head back to 'Blue Thunder', someone else would probably find the treasure…"

Before he could walk any further, he felt Margot grip his hand.

"Hey Hi-kun…"

Hituro turned to look at Margot, who looked at him with worried face.

"Don't try to hold everything by yourself…"

"I'm…not"

He tried to avoid her gaze, but she placed her hands on his face, and made his eyes match hers.

"Just…talk to us when you need to…"

They stood still for a while before he pushed her arms off and started walking back. Neither of them said anything for a while before Hituro finally spoke up.

"I'll…keep it in mind…"

Margot looked up.

"So…just keep smiling like you usually do…"

As they continued walking back, Margot began to smile again, keeping as cheerful as possible the whole trip.

* * *

_Blue Thunder_

* * *

"W-Wait a moment! I'm just congratulating y…."

Tori was struck with a chair as Hituro and Margot entered the shop. Neito was throwing things at him as her face was bright red.

"WHY WOULD I WANT A STUPID PRIZE LIKE THIS!"

"What's going on?" Hituro questioned.

"Oh, Hituro." Heidi turned as she spoke. "Well, apparently this 'treasure' was just something made by our chancellor to enjoy. Neito managed to find it, but…"

She pointed at the open chest which held an assortment of books, DVDs, and games with…questionable content.

He sighed as everyone watched their chancellor was being beaten mercilessly for another one of his stupid antics. But he smiled as he wished for these amusing days to last forever.

* * *

_**So that's the end for this assortment of side stories. Next chapter is the return of the main story...**_


	21. 12 hours until Xcution

_**Hey guys. I've finally gotten back to the main story. Introducing a couple more new guys. One more from Raging Akuma D. and from Airhead fortress(formally Airhead fortis). So please enjoy.**_

* * *

A dimly-litted room surrounded P-01s/Horizon as she sat in a chair under the only brightly lit spot available. She wore a large, plain robe, similar to a kimono, as she stared blankly ahead. A young teenager wearing a modified K.P.A Italia uniform stood nearby with a formal stance.

"Hello Horizon, I'm Grace Longinus. I've been asked to serve as your guard and maid for the time being."

The student extended her hand, offering a shake, but the Automatron simply stared at her hand for a few seconds before turning back. Grace sighed before suddenly regaining composure.

"Um, is there anything you need?"

Horizon turned her head and stared at her face, making the (temporary) attendant feel uncomfortable.

"Judge, I wish to have something to read."

"Excuse me?"

"Something to read would be appreciated…"

Grace gave a slightly confused look before making a slight bow and turning to leave.

"Also…"

* * *

"Suicide, huh?"

Tadagatsu Sakai was sitting in his backyard, bandaged up from his battle and drinking tea with his nephew, who sat across from him. Musashi, the automatron /overseer of the giant ship, was standing nearby, informing them of the current situation.

"Judge. Since she's technically a weapon, it breaks the law that states that the Far East cannot hold any weapons of mass destruction. Therefore, she has been subjected to taking her own life as penance for both her own crime, as well as her father."

Ichijou looked disturbed as he gripped his weapon tightly.

"Can't we do something about this, uncle?"

"It's not that simple Ichijou. There's a pretty big risk involved if we go save her…"

"What do you mean?"

But before Tadagatsu could give his reply, he quickly turned his head and stared at an elderly man who had the appearance of a pope.

"Innocentius, you can't even ask before intruding in my home?"

The Chancellor of K.P.A. Italia gave a small chuckle.

"Pardon me for my manners. However, I believe that is trivial to the news that I'm about to bring."

"News?"

"That Horizon Ariadust has been sentenced to death, under the crime of violating the weapons ban, and for her father who committed mass destruction."

Ichijou was confused.

"We were just informed about this matter, why…"

Innocentius smiled as he spoke.

"You see, once Horizon Ariadust is dead, all command of Musashi shall be transferred to the head of K.P.A Italia. In other words, me!"

Tadagatsu frowned. He knew something like this would happen, but it was still painful to hear it outloud.

Ichijou started to unsheathe his sword when he suddenly felt something around his arms. Looking closer, he saw string have tightened around him and were sewn into the ground, preventing him from making any sudden movements.

"I'd like to introduce an expert strategist in K.P.A Italia, Micheal Heartmen!"

A young man in a standard K.P.A. Italia uniform appeared from behind the chancellor. He gave a piercing stare with his dark green eyes at Ichijou before smirking.

"Hm…" Tadagatsu stared at Micheal, then back at Innocentius. "You both seem to have the same arrogant tone. He must be your student."

"Yes, I've trained this boy with my magnificent knowledge to master practically any situation in battle!"

"So he also has the same tantrum when he screws up?"

Innocentius' face turned red as he coughed and tried to put up a calm face.

"Unfortunately, we won't have the opportunity to show his strategic intellect to your simple-minded students. Though I would've been pleased to have shown you his superiority…"

Tadagatsu sighed.

"Well then, should I set up some tea?"

"No, we must return to execution grounds. But I invite you to come see. You can have a close-up view of one of the most momentous occasions in history!"

He laughed as the two turned around and left.

"Uncle, was it wise to let them go like that?" Ichijou asked as he felt the strings loosen.

His uncle simply stood silently with a concerned look on his face.

* * *

"Suicide?"

"Tes, it is to happen in about 12 hours from now."

Sasuke Karasu stood near Muneshige's bedside in the infirmary, reporting the recent news as Gin nursed him back to health.

"As Matatsudaira's only known relative, she was chosen to take responsibility for his actions on Mikawa"

"What about the residents of Musashi? Have they been pardoned from this incident?"

"No, they're considered guilty of aiding the Ariadust family. Not to mention, since she's technically their new emperess…"

Muneshige sighed as laid back and placed his arm over his eyes.

"Could this have been avoided if I only completed my mission?"

His wife finished nursing him and sat with her hands folded.

"Perhaps. However, it would probably be best if you do not think too much about this matter."

She turned to Sasuke and glared coldly.

"If anything, it would most likely be **his** fault…"

The ponytail-haired spy took a step forward in a small rage.

"What do you mean by that?! I didn't know there was going to be a guard in the woods that day! You told me that everyone was going to be distracted that night!"

"Misinformation" Gin replied calmly.

"And WHO exactly was the one who gave me that information?!"

Gin stared at him for a few minutes before turning back to her husband.

"HEY!"

Sasuke sighed before cooling off.

"Still," Muneshige spoke as he thought about his battle. "To think they could hold us off like this, we can't take them lightly…"

"Tes..."

The room fell silent as the three fell into deep thought.

"By the way..."

Gin began to hold her husband's leg.

"Gin?"

She gripped his leg, making him flinch in pain.

"I want to hear you say it..."

"What?"

She tightened her grip slightly, making him flinch even more.

"You should know..."

"B-But..."

"What?"

"S-S-S..."

"?"

"S-Someone's nearby!"

"...ah..."

Gin turned to Sasuke, who also turned to look back before realizing it was him.

"I don't really mind..."

Gin turned back to her husband.

"Then there doesn't seem to be any problem..."

"YES THERE IS!"

After a small discussion, Sasuke quietly left to report back to his superiors.

"Well then," Gin gave a small glare. "Wasn't there something you wanted to tell me?"

Muneshige tiredly spoke.

"I'm...really sorry for worrying you..."

Gin still held tightly,

"And?"

"And...for not completing my mission..."

She gripped even tighter.

"Ack!"

"Wrong..."

"F-For...doing something...stupid?!"

She released her grip, making Muneshige sigh in relief.

"Please, don't leave me..." Gin stared sadly.

Muneshige grinned. "I won't, I promise..."


	22. Planning and Meeting

_**Not exactly the best chapter, but I couldn't think of anything else for this and wanted to get this off my plate since it was holding me back, but hopefully things will pick up after this...**_

* * *

"Well then, who thinks we should go save Horizon?"

Class Plum-3 sat in silence as Heidi stood at the front to lead their meeting. Kimi spoke up as she glanced at a magazine.

"You know you just said that out of the blue? We haven't talked about anything in the first place…"

"That's true…" she glanced around the room. "By the way, I think there are fewer people than usual today…"

Neshinbara began to answer as he went through his rough draft.

"Well, Kazu's in the infirmary recovering, Neito and Naomasa are having a meeting with their colleagues, and Ichijou's out with his uncle."

"Hmm…" she mumbled to herself. "Tsukasa's currently missing.…What about Seijun?"

"Who knows? She's probably talking with her own family."

"Well, she **is** the only one with any power in the government anymore…"

"And that's because her father's a politician. Otherwise she'd probably be in the same boat as us."

"True. Anyways, Let's talk about saving Horizon and fighting against the Testament Union…"

Silence fell in the classroom.

"Hey Shiro, I think you'd better fill in for me…"

Her partner just sat in his seat while going through the data of his sales.

"I'm busy right now. Ask someone else…"

"But, I think you can make some money out of this…"

Shirojiro suddenly stood.

"Ok ,Everyone! I'm going to tell you the entire rescue plan!"

"GREEDY MISER!"

"Shut up! The first thing we need to talk about is our resources."

Kuina raised her hand.

"Shouldn't we be ok for a while? I mean we're growing food and storing up our resources…"

An obese young man named Ginji Ohiroshiki spoke up.

"Not exactly. Since we've been sheltering Mikawa's immigrants, we'll run out of supplies pretty fast…"

"Huh?"

"Look, say that we make food about 40 units a week. With the number of people we have in Musashi right now, we use up 45 units a week. In other words, we're using up more than we're making."

"I see…"

Kuina was impressed by Ginji's knowledge.

"Well, he isn't just a regular lolicon you know…" Tenzo explained.

"That's true, he isn't just a lolicon…"

"Yeah…."

"SHUT UP! I'm not a freakin lolicon!" Ginji denied strongly. "It's just that history has shown that praising youth leads a long and fulfilling live!"

Everyone turned their heads away.

"Anyways, back to the topic…"

"We need to also make sure we strengthen our forces for any of our future battles…"

"That'll be pretty tricky, considering how we fight and our numbers…"

"Not to mention our situation…"

"Um…someone…."

"Most of our fighting-styles use offerings as the main factor. Even though it's useful, it'll be troublesome for most of us if we can't provide."

"Our numbers are also pretty small compared to other nations. Not to mention that the alliances between those nations will make things even harder…"

"Also, even though we've been practicing 'self-defense' for the future, we've been pretty much held up by the law made to restrict our power."

Kuina felt lost.

"Basically, we don't have many troops, our fighting style is kinda risky, and we're taking a gamble…."

"But, what can we do about this?"

"Nothing…" Neshinbara explained.

"Huh?"

"Even if we wanted to do something, we've pretty much got our hands tied since we don't have any political power anymore."

"So we can't do anything?"

"Not exactly…"

"Why don't you just stop being an ass about this and tell it to us straight?"

"We need to rely on Masazumi…"

"But she's not going to give us any support…"

"Probably not willingly, but if we 'force' her to help us…."

Several of the students looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

Before Shiro could answer, Makiko entered with a stack of papers in her arm. She dropped them on the front desk before making an announcement.

"Well then, today in class, we're going to write up an essay!"

"An essay?"

"Yup. The topic is 'What I wish would happen' or 'My wish' if some of you would prefer…"

"But…"

"No talking, get started right now!"

* * *

_Elsewhere..._

* * *

Two large groups of soldiers stood facing each other on opposite sides. One group was made up of students from Tres Espana, led by Gin Tachibana and Sasuke Karasu. The Other group was made up of a small mixture of students of Musashi and the remaining forces of Mikawa, led by Futayo Honda. A third party(K.P.A Italia soldiers) was overseeing the meeting between the other two

Gin Tachibana held Tonbokiri and slowly began to walk towards the "neutral zone". Futayo Honda slowly followed her lead and entered the "neutral zone", leaving a small distance between the two. Gin began to speak out.

"I, Gin Tachibana, have come here to entrust this weapon, "Tonbokiri", that we have received from Tadagatsu Honda, to Futayo Honda, his daughter and commander of the Reserve Forces."

Futayo began to squint her eyes a little.

"How did you…"

"We have only met once, but I have learned much from our encounter."

"I see…"

Futayo quickly glanced at the camera that was broadcasting the event.

"_I'm sure that everyone in Musashi is surprised by this event. However, if this continues, they will most likely end up as servants to the Testament Union. Therefore…"_

She silently activates "Soaring Wings" and quickly speeds towards Gin.

"_I'll need to retrieve Tonbokiri with my own hands_!"

Futayo quickly reached for her father's weapon when a figure suddenly appeared in front of her and kicked away her hand. Sasuke Karasu gave a look of disappointment at Futayo, then turned to Gin with the same disgust as he slowly grabbed Tonbokiri and held it out to Futayo.

"I, Sasuke Karasu, Leader of the intelligence division of Tres Espana, return the fabled weapon, Tonbokiri, to its rightful owner, in place of my superior, Muneshige Tachibana, who could not participate in this event today."

Futayo stared for a moment before taking her father's weapon and giving a slight bow.

"I thank you. I, Futayo Honda, accept this in place of my father."

"_May he rest in peace…"_ she thought as she turned to walk back.


	23. Planning for the future

**Well, I'm giving you guys not one, not two, but THREE new chapters. It may seem a little bit rushed, but I hope you'll still enjoy**

* * *

Class Plum-3 began writing down their essays, with the exception of Tori, who had his head on the desk since that morning. Nobody knew what else they could do to help him.

Kuina was staring at the blank page in front of her. Nothing came up in her mind, though she knew that after everything that happened, it was probably normal. Looking around, she saw that almost everyone else had already started on their own essays. Curious, she decided to use the charms she had secretly hidden in the classrooms to glance at what everyone else seemed to have written.

* * *

Tenzo – A big, breasted, blonde would appear from the heavens and fall in love with me

Neshinbara – A rescue plan, and several story ideas

Persona – (Unable to read)

Shirojiro – Money

Heidi – For Shiro's wish to come true

Asama – (Writing something completely unrelated. It's contents seemed perverted)

Kimi – Make-up and the latest fashion magazines

Naruze – Margot's love

Margot – Ga-chan's love

Hituro – Whatever makes everyone happy

* * *

Kuina began to give up on the idea when she noticed Suzu writing down her own paper. It didn't seem like anything special, it just recounted the past, when Horizon and Tori helped her with the new year. Looking around, she noticed a couple more stories from everyone else about Tori and Horizon. Each of them mentioned how the two had helped them at some point, and how significant it felt to them.

"That's right…" she thought to herself. "They both helped us all at some point. Why can't we do anything for them?" She started to silently cry, feeling defeated when…

"Hey, you alright there?"

She looked up and saw that Tori was standing nearby with his stupid smile. Kuina wiped her eyes as spoke.

"S-Shut up…"

"Why're you crying?"

Kuina sat silently, pretending not to have heard the question.

"It's fine, I don't plan on letting her go so easily…"

He placed a hand on her shoulder as she secretly smiled. He turned to face the rest of the class.

"I'm gonna do everything I can to save Horizon. But, I'll need everyone's help in order to succeed. So…"

He brings his hands into the air.

"Let's go turn this world around!"

Everyone in the class smiled in agreement.

"I'm surprised you recovered so quickly," Asama said amazed. "You seemed pretty depressed earlier…"

"Hm?" Tori turned in confusion. "Oh, actually…"

"I'm afraid my stupid brother wasn't depressed earlier…"

As she spoke, Kimi held up a swimsuit magazine that was left on Tori's chair.

"What exactly were you doing with this magazine?"

"Ah, looks like I was found out. Actually, I was….."

There was a swoosh, a loud smack, an explosion, and a crash…

* * *

"So, how exactly did you plan to save her?"

Orotorai stood next to Tori who was lying on the ground, wrapped up by a curtain.

"Well, even if we wanted to do something, It's true we can't really do anything right now…"

He went into deep thought before speaking again.

"Hey, Shirojiro…"

"What do you want idiot?"

"You wanna go ahead and finish up what you were saying before?"

Shirojiro sighed before speaking up.

"Basically, we'll hold a special emergency meeting."

Several people were confused.

"We'll announce a special emergency meeting for the whole class to be held about our future. Since it's an emergency, we don't really need a representative to start one. And, if by chance, Masazumi happens to come by, then we can treat it as a regular meeting."

"So, we'll be holding a meeting either way…"

"Yes, but regardless of whether she joins of not…"He gave a serious look. "We'll need to decide how we'll deal with the future from this point on…."

Everyone was silent.

"Especially with the costs, the supplies, it'll take a lot of money…"

Many people sighed.

"Well then…" Orotorai spoke up.

"Does anyone have anything else to say?"

There was a short pause before Tenzo spoke up.

"What should we do about Kazu?"

"That's right, he's still unconscious…."

"We might need his help…"

Ayumi cleared her throat.

"Don't think about him right now, he'll be up sooner or later. Just focus on Seijun…"

"And Tsukasa?"

"He'll come by eventually…"

"Well then…"

"I'll let Ichijou know about what's going on"

"I'll start making the preparations."

"Let's go everyone!"

The class each left in their own direction to perform their own tasks (With the exception of Tori, who was still trapped).

* * *

Grace Longinus stood watching Horizon, who was changing into her maid uniform.

"Are you sure you want this?"

Horizon blankly stared ahead as she spoke.

"I don't know. However, I believe this might be for the best, considering what happened to my body."

She looked up towards the light shining down into the room.

"If I could, I would have liked to have been a simple store clerk."

Grace watched the automatron in front of her, noticing what may have been a faint grin.

"I would have sung in the morning, performed my chores, and met with everyone who came by."

The automatron dropped her head.

"Those people….I…won't be able to see them again..."

"…No…I'm afraid you won't…."


	24. Special Meeting - Terms and Agreements

"So you all decided to show up…"

Masazumi, Naomasa, and Mitotsudaira all stood at the entrance looking towards the rest of the class.

"Well then, I guess we're all set…."

Masazumi took a step forward.

"So you announced an emergency meeting to bring me here?"

"Yes," Shiro replied. "We would have needed to discuss our future at some point, so we all agreed that now would be the best time."

"I see… Very well. I, Masazumi Honda, agree to this emergency meeting among the student council, and offer a proposition to the case."

"That's fine, but I think we'd all like to know what Naomasa and Mitotsudaira are doing with you as well…."

"I'm here to represent the Engineering club. In short, they want me to judge whether we have the strength to fight in a possible war."

"I'm here for a similar reason. Although I've come to simply make my judgement based on what happens from here on out."

"Hmm, well I guess its fine, but then we should assume you won't fight?"

"Judge. The Knights feel that it would be in our best interest to conserve our strength for the future, regardless of the decision."

"Fair enough, how shall we start this?"

"Leave it to me!"

Orotorai stepped forward and stared at both sides before turning to the teacher next to her, Mitsuki Sanyou. Mitsuki was obviously surprised by the sudden attention, but composed herself as she announced the rules.

"_Each side of the debate shall be allowed a minimum of three rounds, and a maximum of seven. Whichever side receives the most victories, will decide Ariadust Academy's fate. Also, battling is not a requirement, each round can be also determined through debate, negotiation, or whatever each representative agrees to. But, each side must be able to reinforce their beliefs. In other words, if you wish to submit to the Testament Union, you must explain why we should submit. Likewise, those who might want to dissolve Musashi altogether must explain your reasoning and provide support."_

Each side stared down towards each other, their determination fiercely shown.

Masazumi spoke up first. "I, Masazumi Honda, propose that we submit towards the Testament Union."

Shirojiro spoke up next. "I, Bertoni Shirojiro, propose that we rebel against the Testament Union and attempt to save P-01s, A.K.A. Horizon."

"Well then, since each side made their points clear…" Orotorai raised her hand. "The debate shall begin now!"

Naomasa stepped forward.

"I'll go ahead first, our strength needs to be the first thing to consider."

She swept her hand across the air, making a screen appear in front of her. She touches the screen, which breaks upon activation, and a giant figure drops from the sky and lands gently on the ground nearby. The figure appeared to be a giant humanoid android with pieces of red armor and enlarged bits of a student uniform.

"This is Jizuri Suzaku, a Giant War soldier that I made using scraps I found from below. It's one of the Engineering club's masterpieces, and controlled by my Maus, meaning it'll function better than the average GWS."

Several members of the class were terrified at Suzaku's appearance.

"It looks like she's serious about this…"

"Can anyone really face that?"

Shirojiro stood confidently against the giant android in front of him, and then chuckled as he turned to the rest of the crowd.

"Hey, Hituro! Go ahead and fight as my representative!"

Everyone was surprised by this sudden turn of events.

"Wait a minute…" Naomasa began to argue, but the young miser quickly explained.

"I'm confident that I could take you on, but it would require a lot of money, and unfortunately, I can't exactly afford to do that before we go to save Horizon, therefore I'm going to have someone represent me as I discuss with you my reasons."

"But…"

"Isn't Jizuri Suzaku technically a substitute representative for you too? Since your Maus is in control…"

Naomasa clicked her tongue.

"Fine, it shouldn't really matter anyways."

"Then we're all in agreement…"

Hituro stepped forward with an exhausted expression on his face. He unzips his uniform jacket, revealing a white T-shirt underneath, and plays with his bangs a little before focusing on Naomasa.

"I wish you'd tell me about this stuff beforehand…"

"Then you might have pretended to have been sick before this discussion!"

"Well…"

"Enough talking, let's start this round already!"

Naomasa jumps towards the spot next to Suzaku's head. It stands up and appears to be moving its head, staring at its target.

"Let's go! Jizuri Suzaku!"

Jizuri Suzaku raises an arm, and brings it down towards Hituro, who just stares. A loud smash rumbles as the dust begins to settle.

"It's over already?"

Suzaku raised its arm to reveal the area below to be completely unchanged.

"What?"

Looking around, Hituro was standing a few feet away from his original position. He yawned as he brought out a three-foot sword and held it towards his opponent.

"Even though I don't really have a choice, I'm not gonna fight you lightly…"


	25. Special Meeting - Round 1

_So, I've set up the discussion and battle into two parts. They happen at the same time, but I'm leaving it you you readers on how you want to read this at all. Read it together, just one, whatever you guys feel like._

* * *

Hituto jumps and runs towards Suzaku with a determined look on his face. He slashes at the large android, pushing it back a bit before jumping back. Jizuri Suzaku swung its arm down again, leaving a large impact on the area. Hituro dodged the attack and ran towards the resident area, shortly followed by Naomasa and her weapon. As they moved, Shirojiro appeared on the screen with Heidi.

"I've set up a deal with some of our club members. They'll keep the area from any destruction"

"In other words, you're both free to run amok!"

The two landed a good distance away before clashing against each other rapidly.

"Now then…" Shirojiro began. "Let's discuss our reasons…"

"Fine…"

Naomasa leapt off Jizuri Suzaku and landed a good distance away.

"So let's talk…"

* * *

_Discussion…_

* * *

"So then…" Naomasa began. "Why exactly are you trying to save Horizon, Bertoni?"

"What do you mean?"

"It shouldn't really matter whether or not Horizon dies in your case. As far as I know, you're a pretty greedy miser, even when you're compared to most…"

"That's true…" Everyone else thought.

"Shut up…"

"Anyways, as a greedy miser, I'm pretty sure you have at least three backup plans for money, so you shouldn't really care about what happens."

"Let's talk about money for a moment. Right now, most of the nations are taking out large loans from the Far East in order to prepare themselves. That money is made through various means, such as farming, market, taxes, etc."

"So they're taking loans, who cares?"

"Actually, if the Far East is forced into a totalitarian rule, all the money will disappear and the debts will be left unpaid."

Several members of the class were dumbfounded.

"Basically," Heidi explained. "The other nations can take large amounts of money, and won't need to pay back any of it if the Far East submits."

"So what? It still doesn't explain your reasoning."

"Musashi isn't under any sort of rule at the moment, therefore lots of change is donated to the shrines by everyone everywhere, in order to gather up energy from the offerings."

He points a finger towards the screen.

"Basically, Musashi is like a giant energy warehouse! And there will be a lot of money gathered from all those offerings!"

"So you still plan to make money, even now? How stupid…"

"Oh?"

"Your plan seems foolproof, but it's all based on the idea that you manage to defeat Jizuri Suzaku in the first place. How can you be so sure that you'll win?"

There was a long pause before Shirojiro spoke up.

"Look at the battle…"

* * *

_Battle…_

* * *

Hituro watched as Naomasa left the field. He sighed before turning his attention to the giant android in front of him. Jizuri Suzaku began sending punches towards him, which continuously activated the barriers protecting the building and landscape. Hituro tried to run away, but Suzaku would quickly follow, leaving him little time to rest. His breathing started to become heavier, as he ran further and further away.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He's feeling exhausted." Neshinbara explained. "The constant running and dodging is taking a toll on his body."

"But shouldn't he still be fine? It doesn't look like he should be tired already…"

"Unfortunately, he doesn't have as much stamina as the rest of us."

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, something happened to him in the past that weakened his body a bit. He can't exactly fight as long as most of us…"

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID THAT GREEDY MISER CHOOSE HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE?!"

The aspiring novelist grinned as he adjusted his glasses.

"Just watch…"

Hituro continued to run through the district, feeling more exhausted by the minute. He tried to open the doors to a building, but a seal was placed to prevent contact of ANY sort.

"Damnit…"

He turned towards Suzaku, who was quickly catching up to him. He spat at the ground as he grabbed a small, circular object from the belt underneath his jacket. He watched as Jizuri Suzaku grabbed a large wrench from its back, and swung it down towards him. A large impact sounded in the area as everyone watched in silence. Jizuri Suzaku raised its weapon to reveal….nothing. Most of the audience was confused by this outcome.

"Neshinabara, what the hell just happened?"

He smiled as he spoke.

"That, was his secret weapon…"

Suddenly, Jizuri Suzaku dropped on one knee as the other leg was revealed to have sustained damage. Hituro stood behind Suzaku, still breathing heavily, but standing tall.

"He calls them Chrome spheres. Basically, they're non-lethal grenades that create large concussion waves to disrupt the area, like a compressed air-bomb."

"So then…"

"Yeah, he used the explosion to send himself speeding at Suzaku's leg, making it easier to pierce through"

Hituro took out another Chrome sphere, and threw it at Suzaku's back…

* * *

Suzaku fell forward to the ground with a large thud. Naomasa stared dumbfounded before grinning and turning back to Shirojiro.

"So you managed to take down my masterpiece…"

Hituro appeared on the screen .

"If it was an enemy, It would've been destroyed by now"

Naomasa raises her hand to show her surrender.

"Round one! Class Plum-3 Wins!"

The class cheered as Naomasa and Hituro started walking back to join the rest of the class.

"So I guess I've lost this round…"

"What're you gonna do about…"

"Ah, I'll have him fixed up by the time we fight."

She gently punches him.

"But if we do this again, I'll make sure we win."

"Believe me," Hituro sighed. "I'll probably just forfeit next time…"

Masazumi began to look concerned before turning towards the rest of the group.

"Well then, I'm up next…"

* * *

_By the way, MetalGearHunter, if there's something about the battle you don't like, send me a PM, and I'll edit this story_


	26. Special Meeting - Round 2

**_Introducing a new character for Tres Espana. Although brief here, he will make a bigger appearance in future chapters. Thanks to S.C.O.R.P.I.O.N. Mal for your help and OC.(P.S. there's another character appearance at the end of this chapter)_**

* * *

A figure sat on a ledge a good distance away from Ariadust academy. He was stared at the sky with a blank look on his face, when a black screen appeared nearby with the words "VOICE ONLY" placed in a big red font.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing just lying around? You need to focus! I gave you a job!"

The figure sat up and yawned before making a bow and arrow appear and checking them for use later.

"Make sure you don't screw this up…"

"Don't worry," the figure spoke. "I'll make sure to finish the job…"

* * *

_A Tres Espana Ship..._

* * *

"So each group is trying to persuade the other to join them…"

Muneshige Tachibana and Gin Tachibana each sat at a table, watching the meeting being broadcasted (through unknown methods). Two figures stood nearby, watching the screen along with the Tachibana couple. Each of them had a similar appearance of a muscular baseball player, however one of them looked like an elderly man with a 5 o' clock shadow, while the other was younger and wore sunglasses.

"Well, it doesn't really matter what they do," the elderly man spoke. "They'll fall to us or the K.P.A Italia at one point or another."

"Do not take them lightly Takakane," Gin warned. "Sasuke was held off by one of them, despite not using his full power"

The man named Takakane laughed loudly "Guess that young fool wasn't as strong as he thought he was! Where is the little brat anyways?"

"He's busy practicing with his techniques and skills. He appears eager for a rematch with that student."

The younger man crossed his hands and gave a small chuckle.

"He's an arrogant loudmouth, but his secret string techniques were pretty formidable, so to think that this guy could hold him off…"

There was a long pause.

"Guess we could say he was all 'tied up' at the time!"

Although the young man was giving a bright smile, the atmosphere turned cold.

"Shut up Dimitri!" Takakane elbowed the young man hard.

"Ouch…" Dimitri wheezed. "Got it boss…."

Muneshige sighed before turning back to his wife.

"By the way, I heard we had a visitor earlier."

"Tes, it appeared to be someone from K.P.A Italia…"

* * *

_Ariadust Acadamy..._

* * *

"Huh, looks like we're drawing in a crowd…"

As Orotorai spoke, large groups of people began to flock to the area to watch the meeting being held. Among them were Ichijou Sakai, Masanobu the Politician, The owner of Blue Thunder, and several other familiar faces.

"_Father…"_

Masazumi turned her head toward her classmates with a determined look. However, she suddenly began looking around confused.

"Um, where is Kazu?"

"He's unconscious from an unexpected attack last night." Neshinbara explained in a slight bitter tone.

"What?"

"Should you really be concerned? Considering you're against us?"

The young politician(in-training) dropped her head for a moment before regaining her confidence.

"Well then, who's going to face me this round?"

The class just looked at each other sheepishly. Debate wasn't exactly their strong suit, and against the only politician of the class(and possibly the whole school), the situation seemed hopeless. But just then, Tori appeared, fully clothed and with an equally determined look on his face.

"I'll do it!"

Nobody felt confident about this, but then it was a better than volunteering themselves. Masazumi smirked, thinking it was going to be an easy win.

"Then, you agree to a debate for this round?"

"Sure! The faster we get this done, the faster we can go to save Horizon!"

She sighed at Tori's naïve personality.

"Well then," Orotorai spoke up. "Who wants to go first on this debate?"

"I'll go!" The naïve boy spoke up quickly, followed by an eerie silence.

"Uh, something wrong guys?"

"The one who goes first in a debate usually has the greater disadvantage," Masazumi explained. "Do you want to take it back?"

"N-No, I'm good with what I've got!" he spoke with a bit of uncertainty which suddenly grew into greater confidence.

"I'd rather go straight to saving Horizon and ignore all this stuff, but I'm gonna need everyone's help to do it, so I need to make sure we all agree on something."

There was a heavily silence as everyone waited to see how Tori would act.

"The debate here is about whether to save Horizon or not, and there'll be a lot of problems, regardless of what we do, so…." His face changed to appear weak and submissive. "...I guess we should just…give up on saving her…"

There was a short pause before everyone shouted in surprise

"EEEHHHHH?!"

"W-Wait a minute!" Masazumi spoke suddenly. "Why are you stealing my line?"

"Um, it's not exactly 'stealing' since we're supposed to pick a side…"

"But aren't you trying to save her?!"

"Well yeah, but I can't really think about any good arguments. Not mention…"

He slightly turned his head towards their teacher, who was giving a threatening aura as she smiled.

"_How scary…"_

"Seijun, like I said, I can't think of any good arguments, so I need you to help me out here."

Masazumi silently stared.

"So let's hurry up and finish this debate!"

She sighed.

"Fine then, let's start with the benefits of saving Horizon…"

* * *

_Debate:_

* * *

"If we decide to save Horizon from her execution, then we'll effectively have the right to proclaim our own nation. Since Horizon is effectively our leader, her reign can give Musashi its independence."

"What's the point of that? Does it really matter whether we're independent or not?" Tori asked confused.

"Tori, you want to help Horizon return to normal, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well remember, her personality is split into several pieces, specifically, the Seven Armaments. Which are separated into several nations."

"Right"

"We'd probably have to go to war against the other nations to retrieve them, but to legally declare war, we need to be independent. In other words, the quickest way to possibly restore Horizon to her normal self, is to save her from her execution."

"I see. Well then…" Tori takes out a piece of paper with some writing on it, and begins to read.

"From the merchant Konishi, If we save Horizon, there'll probably be a significant number of deaths involved in the future. If that's the case, why should we save her?"

"Tori, do you understand the losses we'd face even if we did nothing?"

"Huh?"

Masazumi shook her head before continuing.

"I'll try to keep it simple for you, even though we did nothing, Musashi was charged for aiding a 'criminal' and breaking the law. Therefore, there'll be some charges and arrests made to satisfy the people who judge us."

"You mean…" Tori placed a hand over his neck.

"Probably, not to mention that there will be 'sacrifices' due to lack of supplies and insufficient numbers."

"So saving Horizon would probably save more people?"

"At the very least, it'll keep the number of deaths to a minimum."

"Hmmmm. Well let's get to the next question, from 'Mr. Anonymous', If our goal is to gather the Seven armaments and avoid destruction, then why not join other groups, such as the K.P.A. Italia and Tres Espana?"

"First off, it wouldn't save Horizon, which is supposed to be the main topic in this debate. Second, while joining another group would improve our chances of retrieving them, it wouldn't necessarily coincide with our goals; neither would it guarantee our safety in the future."

* * *

"Now then, for our next question, that comes from our very own Masanobu!"

"Huh?" Masazumi was surprised by this turnout.

"If we choose to save Horizon, it'll mean going against the whole world. Given this fact, wouldn't risking our lives to save this girl mean we would do it because it's right?"

There was a long silence as Masazumi began to think about the question.

"Ummm, I'm really confused," Kuina spoke up. "Isn't it an easy question for Seijun?"

"Not exactly…" Asama explained. "You see, it's not necessarily wrong for the execution to take place, as long as a reason and a legal charge were both given. But most of the other nations are still accusing this to be an evil act. Therefore, they're basically asking if we agree with K.P.A Italia, or the rest of the world…"

Masazumi began to bite her lip.

"_I know what the answer is, but if I say something, then…"_ she looked towards her father, who simply stood in place without looking.

_"But I can't just avoid this, I need to give them an answer…"_ Her hand started shaking from the terror of her dilemma.

"I….I…."

Just then, she felt something gently hit her head. She looked down, and saw it was the paper that Tori was using to hold his questions, crumpled into a round ball. She looked up at Tori, who was scratching his head and looking uncomfortable.

"Geez Seijun, why aren't you giving us an answer?"

"Huh?"

"You're the only one who legally has any rights left in this class. Even if you win, you're still gonna represent us in front of lots of other people, that's why…" he points his finger at the young politician. "You need to give an answer! Stop hesitating and tell us your reason and why!"

"But…"

As she spoke, she noticed some kind of movement among the rest of the class. Looking closely, there was a figure moving up to the front, with a familiar messy hair and a dark blue bandanna…

"Kazu?!"

She was surprised to see him out of bed already. Hearing the way they spoke about him, she assumed he wasn't going to participate.

"Yo, Kazu!" Tori spoke cheerfully. "Glad you finally made it!"

"Shut up Aoi, Ayumi forced me to get up here…"

The violet-haired girl moved next to Kazu, smiling and making V with her fingers. Suddenly, Masazumi heard footsteps behind her as Adell came up while holding a bucket filled with water.

"Oh, you guys already started huh?" she grinned embarrassed at her late arrival as she set down the bucket.

"Masazumi…"

Voices came from the bucket, which revealed to have Kuromo Algae inside. Masazumi took a handkerchief from her pocket and held out her hand as one of the Algae hopped on.

"Please save her…"

"Huh?"

"Please save her….save Horizon…"

"But…"

"Horizon said Masazumi is a Politician….Politicians help us…."

"But I…"

"Sacrifices…."

"What?"

"Sometimes….sacrifices….even if….scary…."

Suddenly, she remembered one of her first meetings with Kazu.

"_Sometimes, you need to make some sacrifices, even if you don't want to"_

Tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Are you ok?

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Yeah, I'm fine….Thank you…"

She smiled with confidence as she placed the Algae back into the bucket, and turned.

"_That's right, even if it doesn't turn out right, even if father doesn't approve…"_

"We would go save Horizon because it's right! To place her guilty for a crime she didn't mean to commit isn't justice. While it was true that Masanobu performed Mass Destruction on the nation of Mikawa, he still died from the same explosion, resulting in suicide. By law, the responsibilities would have been moved to the closest relative, but since Horizon was still recognized as P-01s at the time, she wasn't legally his child, and therefore had no close relation to him."

"Umm, then who's supposed to be the guilty party?"

"Survivors of Mikawa have moved into Musashi. Therefore, as long as they continue to hold their claim as residence of Mikawa, then the nation isn't technically destroyed, so nobody would need to be blamed!"

Masazumi paused for a bit before speaking out.

"In other words, to allow Horizon to submit to the execution is truly, an evil act!"

Everyone grinned approvingly, several people applaued, when suddenly, Kazu moved quickly and pushed Masazumi back, dodging a thin projectile which was revealed to be an arrow. The arrow was dug deep into the ground, only inches away from where Masazumi stood just moments ago.

"EEEEEEK!"

Tori cried as he stepped back from the fright. Everyone stared as they wondered where the shooter was. However, the bewilderment was short-lived as Kimi noticed something else.

"My, even with all the danger, they still take the time to do something that daring?"

Turning their eyes to the fallen duo, most of the people had devilish grins while a few others(mostly women) covered their eyes with their hands in embarrassment. Seijun opened her eyes and noticed Kazu was lying on top of her. Her face turned bright red as Kazu noticed the same thing, and began to blush while trying to avert his eyes. She screamed as she pushed him off and sat down, trying to catch her breath.

"Geez, still as innocent as ever…"

Kazu placed his hand on the back of his head to check for bumps while looking up at Masazumi. He was still blushing, but he smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked back and smiled as well, while placing her own hand on top of his. The heartwarming scene lasted a while before…

"Is this a bad time?"

A giant holographic screen appeared near the entrance, showing the face of a young boy with green eyes and wearing the standard K.P.A Italia uniform.

"Who the heck are you?!" Tori shouted.

"Greetings Musashi, my name is Micheal Heartmen, of the K.P.A Italia academy. I've come here to inform you all about the shocking news!"

"Huh?"

"I regret to inform you all, that as of three hours ago, Tres Espana has agreed to aid us in our cause to execute the criminal Horizon Ariadust. And when I say regret, I mean that your plan to save Horizon Ariadust is hopeless!"

"How did you…"

Michael smirked as he replied. "I'm a master strategist, better than my old man who personally, I'd say, is a stuck-up, overconfident, windbag."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING OVERCONFIDENT?!" A voice roared out suddenly.

He cleared his throat. "Anyways, as a master strategist, I need to be able to read any situation and think 5 steps ahead, like a chess game. In other words, I saw you all planning to save Horizon hours before it even came to mind!"

"Then that arrow was from you as well?"

"Yes, and no…..you see, since we're allied with Tres Espana now, I've asked one of their members to do me a small favor…"

A figure appeared on the ledge holding a bow and arrow. It was a young boy with medium-lengthed black hair that was covering his left eye. He was wearing a cloak, as well as goggles that were hanging around his neck. But underneath his cloak, was the red and white from a Tres Espana uniform.

"**He** shot that arrow?!"

"He looks kinda dangerous!"

"What a show-off…"

Kazu and Ayumi both stared with wide eyes.

"It can't be…"


	27. Special Meeting - Intermission

"What? You're saying **he**'s been sent to Musashi?"

"Tes, it appears that the one called Micheal Heartmen specifically asked for someone with **his** talents to carry out a task."

"I see…"

Takakane started going into deep thought.

"It's been a while since we found **him**, but he still hasn't remembered anything about his past. Perhaps this Micheal guy knows something?"

"Perhaps…"

Dimitri turned his head to Gin and his superior, before speaking up.

"Um, can someone tell me what's going on? Who's **he** and why do you both care about what happens to **him**?"

"That's right, you only joined up with us a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, so I don't really know anything about this guy…"

"Well, there's not really much to say, we found **him** lying on the open plains a few years ago, couldn't remember anything about his past besides his name. Still, he's made quite a reputation for himself in Tres Espana from the very start…"

"A reputation?"

"He's a Hunter. Skills of an assassin that can rival Sasuke's, if not better. He's so good it's almost scary, as if he was born to be a hunter. It's like he was trained since childhood for this very moment."

"So you're saying…" The young baseball player gave a serious look before suddenly giving a bright expression. "he _hunts_ for the truth?"

Takakane elbowed the back of his neck, knocking out his junior to the ground.

"Shut UP, Dimitri!"

"S…Sorry….b…boss…."

* * *

The young boy made a bow and an arrow appear in his hands and quickly fired a shot towards Kazu. Kazu tried to move quickly, but the attack was unexpected, and he was slightly grazed on the shoulder. The hunter took another arrow and fired another shot towards Masazumi, who was suddenly protected by a barrier from Kuina. Several more shots were sent to Kazu, which pierced his arms and legs, and immobilized him to the ground. As Kazu yelled out in pain, the boy swiftly grabbed the shot that grazed him earlier, and launched a shot at Tori, who barely dodged the shot by a hair's width as he scrambled to leave the battlefield. Before setting up another shot, he suddenly jumped and turned his head toward Margot, who was quickly filling her broom with coins.

"Take this!"

She began firing rapidly at the young intruder, but he dodged swiftly, moving as if each shot were standing still, and sped towards the white seraph while taking out a knife.

"Margot!"

Malga pushed Margot out of harm's way, while at the same time, Tenzo dashed in front of the young boy and blocked his sudden attack. The two leapt away from each other as they began studying each other's movements. Right before it looked like they were about to strike…

"Sora!"

Ayumi ran into the space between them while spreading her arms open.

"Miss Ayumi!"

"It's fine Tenzo, don't worry about me…"

She slowly lowered her arms as she started to walk closer to the young boy, who held his weapon up cautiously.

"It's you, isn't it Sora?"

The boy lowered his weapon and looked confused.

"Who….are you?"

"It's me, Ayumi!" she said as she stopped a short distance away from him. "Don't you remember?"

The young hunter began to mumble to himself, as if something in his mind clicked.

"Ayumi…."

"Yes, and Kazu's here too. The three of us used to hang out together! Remember?"

"Ka….zu…"

"That's right; you disappeared after you both left for the shrine. What happened to you?

"A…shrine?"

Suddenly, images began flashing in his mind…

* * *

_There was laughter as children started running together through a field….A shrine began glowing brightly as two boys stood nearby….A flash of steel….A great bolt of lightning…one of the boys gave a grin…_

* * *

"Hrgh!"

Sora groaned as he clenched his head. His body started to throb as tried to block out the sudden wave of memories.

"Sora!" Ayumi shouted out as she ran towards him. However, a giant red demon suddenly appeared in front of her, along with a young silver and crimson-haired girl wearing a custom-made K.P.A Italia uniform.

"This ended up being a disappointment…" Micheal said with a bored expression on his face, as he waved his hand. "Galileo, Grace, make sure you both take care of our 'friends' here…"

"Yes…"

Galileo quickly sped towards the class, launching a punch towards the left half that sent a couple of them back towards the school, and knocking them out. He launched another punch towards the other side. However, he suddenly felt something push back his monstrous strength. Looking closely, he noticed one of students had set up a subtle barrier to protect herself from his attack.

"Really, do you have to act so rough with someone beautiful like me?"

Kimi smiled as she held her place easily. However, Galileo simply grinned back, and quickly sped back to Sora. Before she could react, Grace held a large unusual spear and began charging swiftly forward. Kimi attempted to stop her assault, but the force of the charge knocked her back a few inches. Grace suddenly launched a flurry of strikes towards several people, which were all blocked by Kuina's special barrier; however, a heavy concentrated blow forcefully shattered the barrier, leaving the young girl unconscious. Grace held her weapon high, as she prepared to strike.

"Pierce through…."

She stopped as she felt something on the handle of her spear. She turned to see a student wearing a jacket as black as his wavy hair.

"You're…"

Ichijou released his grip while looking around to assess the situation. He sighed and scratched his head while walking towards the rest of his classmates. He was shortly followed by four other familiar figures. One was a young woman wearing blue armor and a butterfly hairband, wielding the famed "Tonbokiri", Futayo Honda. Another was a fairly tall student with two different colored eyes, Tsukasa Shirokage. And the last two were a man and woman, both wearing very loud and flamboyant-looking clothing, as well as a crown on each of their heads.

"Huh, if it isn't Mr and Mrs. Majesty!" Tori spoke excitedly. "What exactly are you both doing here?"

"You insolent fool!" The king proclaimed. "We are the King and Queen of Musashi, therefore we must take care of any problems that arise in our nation!"

He turns to Micheal with a furious look on his face.

"Micheal Heartmen, was it? I humbly ask that you send your collegues away, for this is a matter to be confronted among the students of Ariadust Acadamy!"

Micheal chuckled as he replied. "I'm afraid that this is none of your business seeing as you aren't a student. I must 'humbly' decline".

"What?"

"Galileo! Grace! Continue!"

Galileo and Grace prepared to move until Futayo and Tsukasa each held a blade at their throats, each of them giving a threatening stare.

"Then maybe I should say something?"

Ichijou stepped forward to confront the young strategist.

"I am Ichijou Sakai, a student of Ariadust Acadamy and nephew of Tadagatsu Sakai."

"I remember, you're the fool who fell into my trap earlier…"

"I request for you to postpone this battle and Horizon's execution for 15 more hours. During that time, we will both prepare ourselves for the upcoming confrontation between Musashi and the joint union of K.P.A Italia and Tres Espana."

Micheal stared with interest.

"Oh really? And why should I comply with your request?"

"As our King stated, this is a matter to be discussed among the students of Ariadust Acadamy. Therefore, to receive outside interference would be unlawful, and thus an act of treason against the Testament Union."

Micheal looked slightly unconmfortable.

"That may be, but what about your friend there?" He asked, referring to Futayo.

"While she is currently a captain of the guards, it has been decided that she will be transferred to Ariadust Acadamy in a few days, making her a prospective student…"

Micheal paused for a bit.

"While this may be true, the people demand that there be a public execution as soon as possible. Why should I postpone the execution for you?"

"It shouldn't be a big deal if you postpone the execution. Regardless of whether we try to save Horizon of not, you should still have the upper hand in either situation."

"I refuse. The sooner this matter is settled, the better."

"Then I guess you don't want to show how powerful you are…" Masazumi quickly interrupted.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if would be smarter to go ahead and execute her right now. However, wouldn't it be better to show the world your achievements in battle? To show them how great K.P.A Italia is, how intimidating its power is."

"True…"

"However, if you refuse this challenge, then you'll be branded as a coward by the public." She smiled as she continued. "How would that work out for K.P.A Italia's reputation?"

Micheal gave it some thought before giving an annoyed look.

"Tch…"

He snapped his fingers, making the two relax their guard and stand near Sora.

"Sora….why…."

As Ayumi struggled to speak, Galileo grabbed the body of the stunned boy before suddenly disappearing with Grace.

"Very well, I'll wait 15 hours before executing the criminal Horizon Ariadust. Until then, be prepared to taste defeat, as you will learn about how powerless you all truly are…"

The screen disappeared as the five arrivals turned to face Plum-3.

"Now then" The king began. "Let us continue this debate among the student!"

"Wait, you mean it's not over?!" Toori exclaimed surprised. "I thought we all agreed!"

"Not exactly, the terms have now changed. The next two rounds shall be a test of strength among Futayo Honda and Tsukasa Shirokage. Should they both concede victory you, then you shall all be free to do what you choose. Agreed?"

"I guess, but what about Ichijou?"

"Actually," Ichijou sheepichly explained. "I'm not really interested in fighting, so I'm just gonna side with your group…"

Some of the students sighed in relief. "_We don't want to fight someone like him_…"

"That sounds like a plan." Orotorai agreed. "And for time's sake, we'll just say that Seijun and Tori's round ends in a draw. Sound good?"

"Judge. Now as for Mitotsudaira…"

"Don't bother…" Neito slowly walked to join her classmates. "I've decided that it is in the Knight's best interests to aid Class Plum-3!"

"Very well, then let's begin!"

* * *

_**It's going to be quite a while before you'll see the grand war (Sorry about that). I'm planning on a few more "Sidestories" before getting to the big war, so I hope you'll all be pretty patient. I'll try to keep things interesting, and I'll be adding in a new group in a couple chapters, thanks to the help of another reader, dad90. Hope you'll all stay with me until then.**_


	28. Special Meeting - Round 3

"What's the meaning of this Michael?!"

Innocentius stood next to the young student with a furious look on his face.

"Why have you agreed to extend the public execution?"

"They've made a good point. To simply execute her after their declaration of war would be bad for our reputation…"

"But why 15 hours? That's too much time for a simple extension!"

"Calm down Innocentius, I've actually calculated this into my plans already."

"What?!"

"I've already taken every possibility into account," Michael sat with his hands folded while smiling. "And regardless of what'll happen, we've already won…"

* * *

"So we agreed, but…"

The remaining class gathered in a circle to talk about their plan against Tsukasa and Futayo

"Yeah, it seems like it'll be pretty difficult to win over those two…"

"Well, we've seen how fast Futayo is, but I don't think that's much help…"

"Then what about Tsukasa, any ideas about him?"

"I don't think anyone knows what he does besides working at Blue Thunder…"

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to take the chance…"

"I'll go…"

Ayumi took a step forward and faced them with a fierce determined look on her face.

"You sure?"

"Ichijou should save his strength for Futayo, and I'm probably the only one who can really fight right now…"

She quickly looked at her injured classmates before turning her head back to her opponent. Tsukasa sighed as he stepped forward with an easygoing look on his face. Masazumi took a few steps forward.

"Can I ask you something?"

He turned his head to the young politician.

"Why are you trying to stop us from saving Horizon?"

"Well…" he scratched his head before bringing his arms up in a carefree way. "I don't feel like telling you right now."

"Eh?!"

"Sorry, it just really seems like a hassle to talk…" he took out a pair of dual pistols as he held them against Ayumi, who brought out a sword and held it on the side of her waist. "…seeing as how she just wants to end this quickly."

"I don't want to waste any time." She replied. "Now that I know Sora is alive, I'll bring him back no matter what!"

She grabbed her sword, still unsheathed, and swiftly dashed toward Tsukasa with a hint of bloodlust in her eyes. He dodged the first strike by crouching down, but barely blocked the immediate second blow by bringing his arm over his head. He swept his leg across the area, knocking her slightly off-balance, but she quickly recovered and swung her weapon in retaliation. He blocked the sudden strike with the side of his pistol before leaping away and began eyeing her suspiciously.

"Why…"

"Hm?"

"Why are you keeping your sword unsheathed?"

Ayumi smiled devilishly. "If I unsheathed it, it'd be soaked in blood by the end of this battle…"

Tsukasa was annoyed by this remark and gave a slight smirk before dashing forward. He launched a couple of blows with his arms, which were blocked by her swords. However, he swiftly turned his body and landed a few kicks before getting back on his feet. Ayumi sneered as she wiped a bit of blood from her mouth, and started to rapidly swing her sword at him. However, most of her blows were all parried by his guns and just drained her stamina. She started to breathe heavily before he kicked her squarely on the chest, pushing her a few inches back.

"By blood, I'm guessing you meant your own…" he taunted.

"Bastard…"

Ayumi dashed towards him with a fierce look in her eyes. She made sharper movements, occasionally hitting him once in a while, but he still blocked them with ease before striking her face with a backfist. She yelled as she started to fiercely push back Tsukasa with wild strikes launched at a rapid pace. It appeared he was struggling since he was doing nothing but blocking her strikes, however she was still breathing heavily, and straining to keep herself moving at the same pace. Eventually, her movements began to slow down, and Tsukasa swept his feet along the floor, making her fall on her back.

"Now then," he stepped on her stomach while pointing his gun. "I don't think that this is the time to go easy on me." He gave a dark look on his face, terrifying Tori while intimidating several of the other students. "Either start taking this seriously, or you'll die…"

Ayumi gave a spiteful look before closing her eyes and began breathing slowly. A moment of silence passed before she spoke up.

"Come out…"

Her shoulder piece opened to reveal a small priestess. It had a pure white kimono with the sun and moon on each of her sleeves, as well as a small circle on her forehead. The small figure smiled as it bowed.

"Initiate the contract…"

The small priestess acknowledged the command before quickly turning around and clapping. Shortly after, Ayumi began to glow in a semi-bright light. Tsukasa took a step back while keeping his gun pointed at her; however she suddenly vanished and reappeared behind him. He quickly turned and aimed at her face, but she disappeared again, and reappeared while stabbing his shoulder. Tsukasa groaned while he staggered back, and glared at the revived student.

"So what's this?"

Ayumi stood proudly while looking down at her opponent.

"This is my maus. She's my connection to Marisha-Ten, goddess of the sun, moon, and light." She brought his attention to her maus, who began glowing brightly. "Her abilities vary depending on the amount of light, as well as the source." She points towards the sun. "In this case, the sun is used to increase my abilities, so I'm faster and stronger than usual."

She swiftly dashed to him and landed a kick that pushed him a couple feet away. He started to run up and launched several attacks, but she easily avoided them all before punching him in the stomach and knocking him back. Back on his feet, Tsukasa began to breathe harder as the two were at a standstill. Several minutes passed before he grinned and hoisted his weapons.

"Guess there's no other choice…"

He slowly held up his hand as Ayumi got into a stance for whatever was about to happen next.

"I'm going to quit. It's too much of a hassle to continue this battle."

There was brief moment before everyone voiced their surprise.

"W-Wait a minute!" Ayumi exclaimed as she returned to normal. "What do you mean this is too much of a hassle?"

"Exactly what I said…" he shoved his hands into his pockets as he spoke. "I'm only supposed to test your strength, there's nothing about defeating anybody, not to mention this will save time…"

"Y-Yeah, but…"

"The winner of this round is Ayumi!" Makiko shouted as several people cheered.

While the crowd began talking about the next battle, Ayumi stood glaring at her opponent as he began walking closer.

"Why were you going easy on me?" She asked silently. He stopped and shifted his eyes to her face. "You weren't using your whole strength that time. Hell, I doubt you were even taking this seriously, why not?"

Tsukasa smirked. "It's too expensive…"

Ayumi grabbed his collar and brought her face close to his.

"Don't give me that crap! I know you're hiding something!"

"I could say the same…"

"What?"

"I know a bit about your past, not to mention, your family's _sin_. Is that why you're hiding your last name?"

She was slightly shocked as he released himself from her grip and started walking away.

"That bastard…"

* * *

"I think we have a problem…" Neshinbara adjusted his glasses as he began to speak to the rest of the group.

"Huh? What's the matter?"

"Well, if we're going to save Horizon, we're going to need reinforcements since we're up against both K.P.A Italia and Tres Espana."

"Yeah…so?"

"Well…"

He brought their attention to the group of injured students who were all either bandaged or unconscious.

"We'd at least need to show we have strength, but I don't think we can do that with our current condition…"

Tsukasa suddenly walked past the novelist.

"Come out…"

A small white rabbit with a few scars appeared from his shoulder piece, chuckling and pawing at itself before turning around.

"You guys focus on Futayo…" The rabbit hopped onto the ground near the injured students as a black screen appeared with two large numbers on it. "I'll take care of this sorry bunch…" He waved his hand over the screen, making it disappear as a small circle began to grow from the small animal.

"But…"

"Let's begin the next round!" Futayo proclaimed as she held her father's weapon proudly.

Ichijou started stepping forward.

"Guess it's finally time for a rematch…"

* * *

_**Some of you might be frusterated or pissed off that I didn't include all of Ayumi's or Tsukasa's talents. Well sad to say, that's something for the grand war. However, I'll probably spill some secrets in the up comind sidestories, so you can look forward to that.**_

_**Anyways, sorry if this doesn't really seem done well. But it's actually harder to make interesting action scenes than you think. I'm trying though, and if I suddenly find a way to improve this, I'll repost it sometime in the future.**_


	29. Special Meeting - Round 4

_**Here's the (Sort-of final) chapter for the "Special Meeting". I've tried the best I could for this particular fight, but I'm not sure if it went well. Sorry if it seems kinda short.**_

_**On another note, I'm starting the next series of sidestories after the next chapter. Not sure where I'll go with this, so if you want some kind of particular plot, or genre involved, let me know with your review, and consider it. Otherwise, enjoy the chapter.**_

_**As a final note, I'd like to thank everyone once again for following this Fanfiction story for the last 30 chapters(technically 29 since "Author's note"s don't exactly count). Hopefully the "Grand War" will end up satisfactory.**_

* * *

"So Seijun…"

Tori suddenly placed an arm around Masazumi's neck while she sadly watched Kazu.

"What exactly is your relationship to Kazu here?"

"Huh?!"

Her face became flushed as she suddenly panicked and turned her head away.

"I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"C'mon! You obviously had something going on a while ago!" As he spoke, the chancellor made strange body movements while wiggling and smiling. "Tell us, Tell us!"

Masazumi tried to avoid his gaze, but several others began to stare at her while looking at her suspiciously. She was about to give in when Ayumi stepped forward and kicked Tori into the building.

"Now, now everyone…" She smiled brightly while speaking, but the aura she gave off shouted danger. "You shouldn't really bother Seijun you know, especially since we need to focus on Ichijou's fight…"

"YES MA'AM!"

The group left to watch the next battle while Ayumi sat next to Masazumi with a tired look on her face.

"Um…" Masazumi stammered as Ayumi turned her head to the young politician.

"T-Thanks for helping me…"

"It's fine…" She wrapped her arm around Masazumi's neck. "I just don't really know what you see in him. He's a lazy guy who's obsessed with honor. Not to mention he was beaten up a lot recently…"

She stopped as she noticed the young politician smiling, and turned her head back to Tsukasa, who was watching the people slowly recovering from inside his circle.

"Something wrong?" Masazumi asked in a more serious tone.

"Yeah, something's strange about him…"

"Shirokage?"

"I feel like he's hiding something, like he's trying to keep something secret…"

"Actually…"

"If you have time to talk," Tsukasa spoke without turning. "You should go join the others. A flat-chest and a tomboy shouldn't be sitting around by themselves…"

The two girl's faces turned red as they yelled out angrily.

"So what if I have a tomboyish personality?"

"Who cares about my chest? It was something for my family! That was already made clear!"

He turned his head slightly. "You're mistaken…" He points at Ayumi and then Masazumi respectively. "You're flatchest, and you're tomboy…"

Outraged, the two of them left to watch the battle, ignoring Asama who was slowly walking up to Tsukasa.

"You should try being a bit nicer to them, they're only curious…"

"…Have you told anyone?"

"Huh?"

"Does anyone else know about **this** besides you and President Sakai?" he brought his hand to his artificial eye.

"No…but…"

"Asama…" He turned his head back to the injured. "Please keep quiet about **this**. I'm asking you do this as a favor…"

She stood still for a moment before walking away.

* * *

"Well then…" Ichijou stepped forward with a discouraged look on his face. "Can I convince you to surrender somehow?"

"No" Futayo gave a determined look as she held her weapon up high.

"Hmmm…" He took his blade out and held it the way his uncle always taught him to while keeping his eyes on her.

"I didn't get to tell you this before," She closed her eyes. "I'm sorry about what happened to your parents…"

Ichijou's eyes widened for a moment before he looked down slightly depressed.

"Forget it, it's too late for that kind of thing."

"I see, I apologize…"

"No it's fine, you probably understand now, right?"

"Of course, after all, I'm in a similar situation…"

"Well then, let's begin…"

It was only a split second before the two began to clash against each other with an incredible force. The two launched blow after blow at each other with incredible speed and accuracy, almost as if they were dancing. Sparks flew as they both matched each other's movements closely, and the sound of metal hitting one another rang throughout the area.

"Looks like you still remember my Father's training"

"I'm not going to just forget those few years of torture he put me through…"

Their rapid movements continued, creating a small gust of wind in the area as people watched intensely. Several people struggled to watch, worried about Ichijou's progress while other people simply stood still, confident in their victory.

"They're both equally matched." Tenzo commented. "Is this going to end anytime soon?"

"It might be sooner than you think," Ayumi replied. "Watch closely…"

Looking closely, he noticed Ichijou was getting small scratches throughout his body, whereas Futayo only managed to receive slight scratches on her armor.

"Their skills may be equal, but it's still a spear against a sword. Obviously the longer reach will have the advantage…"

"Then Ichijou will…"

"No, it's still too early to make the call…"

President Sakai suddenly appeared nearby, surprising some of the students.

"Futayo's using Tadakatsu's Tonbokiri, and Ichijou has my Maken." He explained scratching his head. "Depending on how they use it, they can turn the battle to their favor."

"But can he still win?"

"Don't worry," Tadagatsu smiled. "He'll be fine."

* * *

Ichijou leaps back and held his weapon up with a firm stance. "_Looks like she's gotten a lot stronger, it's not going to be easy. But…"_

He thinks about the memories of Tori and Horizon before relaxing his guard for a moment. "Come out Ammi…"

His shoulder piece opened up to reveal a small priestess holding a well-polished mirror. It smilied with a fox-like face and small, cat-like ears were poking out from its head. The maus giggled before turning to Ichijou.

"Yo, Ichijou!" It squeaked. "It's been a while since you called me last time you know!"

"Yeah…" He scratched his head while looking a bit exhausted. "But honestly, I was hoping it'd be longer…"

The small maus puffed out its cheeks before lightly hitting its master.

"How dare you say something like that to a beautiful lady like me? You should be grateful I'm taking the time out to help you out in this trivial matter! You should feel grateful! In fact, you should be bowing down in respect…."

Ichijou was slightly annoyed and flicked its forehead.

"Ow!"

"We'll talk about the offerings later. Right now I need your ability…"

"Shut up! I don't want to help you! You jerk! You idiot! You…"

It stopped as it noticed the scratches around its master and the weapon Maken in his hand. It turned its head to Futayo and turned back to Ichijou with a stern look on its face.

"So it's gotten that serious?"

"Sort of. I want to end this quickly, so I really need your help." He grinned. "It'd be great if you could help me out here, I'm really counting on you."

The maus blushed before turning away.

"S-Shut up! You'll have to compensate me later with a big offering!"

Ichijou chuckled before swiping the air with his blade. "Maken, activate…"

The blade opened up near the middle to reveal a nearly hollow core. Futayo was confused for a moment; however the core was beginning to fill itself with a strange bright energy that slowly began to flow throughout the blade itself.

"This is…"

"This is my maus, Ōhirume-no-muchi-no-kami, or 'Ammi' for short. I use her with Maken to bring out its full potential."

Futayo shifts her eyes to the small maus, which began to glow brightly.

"What's happening?"

"One of her abilities is gathering either from the sun, I use that to provide power to Maken and activate it's 'Normal' drive."

As he spoke, the either gathering around Maken began to shape itself into the appearance similar to a long katana. The either appeared to harden itself as the energy began to solidify its shape. Ichijou tested its weight before taking his stance. Futayo took her own stand and eyed the newly formed weapon carefully before speeding towards him with "Soaring wings". Ichijou simply stood and held his place as she charged towards him. He blocked her first strike and began to retaliate with his own movements. His swings were a bit slower, but the force was greater as Futayo struggled to knock away his blows. Neither of them appeared to be giving an opening to the other as both of them were barely scratching the other.

Suddenly, as if their minds were as one, Futayo leapt back a good distance before holding her weapon up for a head-on rush. At the same time, Ichijou took a few steps forward and held his own weapon up as if to prepare for a last-minute strike. Silence fell as both warriors stood within the tense atmosphere, as if waiting for the call to make the full-on strike against each other. Several minutes passed before they both made their move.

There was a swift movement as the two soon stood with their backs against each other. Moments passed as everyone held their breaths. Suddenly, Ichijou gripped his shoulder as blood trickled from the wound Futayo left. Futayo dropped to one knee as the cut across her chest and stomach began to reveal itself. Ichijou held up his weapon and pointed it at his opponent, with calm eyes. Futayo got back on her feet and began breathing heavily as the wounds he left began to strain her body.

"You've lost Futayo, there's no reason to continue…"

She gritted her teeth as she charged at Ichijou again while yelling. He blocked her strike, and countered with a blow from the handle. She fell on one knee again while straining to get up. Ichijou sighed as he began to walk towards the fallen warrior. However, Futayo moved quickly and twisted Tonbokiri, shifting the flat side of the blade towards Ichijou. He suddenly stopped as Futayo glared at him.

"Sever, Tonbokiri…"


	30. Meeting Ajourned! Let's go save Horizon!

**_Time for the meeting to end. Enjoy_**

* * *

A flash of light erupted from the blade, blinding everyone in the area as they wondered what was about to happen next. The lights dimmed as their sight began to recover. Futayo gripped Tonbokiri tightly, using it like a crutch as she slowly got back up. She glanced at the area, but Ichijou was nowhere to be found. "_I won_…" she thought.

Just then, she felt a familiar presence behind her. She slowly turned to see Ichijou, who was unharmed and pointing Maken at her.

"Impossible!"

He slightly motioned his blade to Tonbokiri as Futayo quickly turned to check her weapon.

"This is…"

Tonbokiri's blade was covered in a thick coating of either. Futayo quickly glanced back at Maken, whose shape had returned to normal.

"Maken's normal drive. Manipulating either." Ichijou spoke as she glared at his face. "I covered Tonbokiri with either to block my reflection." He lowered his blade. "That technique won't work on me anymore, it's over…"

She clenched her teeth as she suddenly swung her weapon at him. A loud ringing filled the air as Tonbokiri spun into the sky and landed behind the swordsman. Futayo dropped to the floor as Ichijou sheathed Maken and retrieved Tonbokiri from the ground. He started walking to Futayo, who was paralyzed from the unexpected loss.

"_Father…it's hopeless_…" she muttered as his footsteps got closer. "_I've lost…even with all the skills you've taught me_…." His face was stern and unchanging as he gripped Tonbokiri tightly. "_It's all over for me…"_ Ichijou held the spear in front of her face. He pointed the weapon towards the sky as he turned it around to hold it like a javelin. There was a small howl from the wind as he made a deep thrust in the area in front of him. There was a slight sound of movement as Tonbokiri pierced itself deeply into the ground. Futayo looked up to see him bend down on one knee as he offered his hand.

"What?"

"I'm only supposed to make you concede. I'm not going to kill you…"

She swatted away his hand. "Just leave me alone…" She said sadly.

There was a small sound of shuffling as she felt something cover her body. She turned her head to see what it was, and saw Ichijou had placed his jacket over her.

"It's hard to accept it…" he said as he helped her up. "When your family dies, you feel like they should be remembered somehow." He scratched his head as he felt a bit embarrassed of the words coming from his mouth. "But, I think the old man would be pretty proud of the way you are now. You don't really need to prove anything. Besides, I made a promise…" He reached into his shirt and pulls out a familiar pendant in the shape of a butterfly. "To both Sensei, and to you…"

Futayo smiled as she blushed a little bit from the comforting words of her childhood friend.

"Anyways…" He suddenly turned his head away while his face started to turn red. "Your, uh, uniform…"

She looked down as she noticed that her uniform was slightly torn, showing not only the recent injuries, but some of her skin. Her face was completly red as she gripped his jacket and tried to cover herself.

Makiko chuckled before she raised her hand.

"The winner of this round is Ichijou! Therefore, it has been decided that we'll all go to save Horizon!"

The class cheered as the two fighters started walking over to join them. Tadagtasu Sakai grinned as he watched his nephew slowly walk over with Futayo.

"Yep, he's definitely a better guy than I was…"

* * *

"So the meeting has finally finished…"

Back at Tres Espana, Gin, Muneshige, Takakane, and Dimitri all watched as the conclusion of the fight was broadcasted. Dimitri and Takakane both smiled as the both of them turned around.

"Where are you both going?" Gin asked as the two started to walk away.

"We're going to war in about 13 hours, right?" Takakane laughed. "We'll need to make sure everyone's all pumped up for it!"

"I see…."

Muneshige and Gin both turned back to the screen as they watched the group celebrate.

"Muneshige-sama…"

The "Peerless man of the West" turned to his wife.

"Do you think you might lose in battle?"

"Of course not. I don't plan disgracing the Tachibana name that easily."

Gin held up her hand as Muneshige placed his own over hers.

"We'll win this war; I'll make sure of it…"

* * *

"So they're going to try and save Horizon Ariadust…"

Michael began to chuckle as Galileo and Innocentius stood nearby, silently watching the young boy.

"How amusing!" He laughed. "Let's see how hard they'll struggle in their pathetic attempt to save this criminal!"

* * *

Grace leaned against a nearby wall as she watched Horizon reading at the table. She watched, thinking about how much the young girl reminded her of her old friend. She secretly smiled as Horizon suddenly turned her head in her direction.

"Is something funny?"

"Huh?" Grace was a bit startled by this comment and lightly coughed as she quickly changed her face. "N-no. You just remind me of someone I know…"

"…I see…"

Horizon brought her attention back to the book as Grace continued to watch the automatron carefully.

"_Gin_…"

* * *

Tsukasa stretched his arms and yawned. "I'm finished…"

"Um…"

Ichijou stood nearby with Futayo. Tsukasa turned his head and took a quick glance at the both of them before rubbing his head.

"Fine, I got it…"

His maus hopped over to the couple as the process began to repeat itself.

"Hey Asama…" Adelle began as she turned to the shrine maiden. "What's he doing?"

"He made a pact with Okuninushi, the God of farming, business, nation-building, and medicine." Asama explained. "The rabbit is supposed to be the representative that connects the two."

"So by medicine…"

"Yes, he can heal wounds. However, there's a catch to this ability…"

"Huh?"

"Well…"

"First," Tsukasa suddenly interrupts. "I can only heal living and organic things. In other words…" he casually points to Futayo's clothing that was still torn and damaged. "A lot of clothing would probably end up somewhat erotic…" Several of the women blushed whereas several of the guys tried to get a better view(and ended up getting beaten/shot by Masazumi/Asama).

"Second," he continued while healing the recently new injuries. "The costs are larger because of this guy(*pointing at his maus*) and also depending on how large the target area is…"

"So then…"

"I need to spend a lot for even minor damages." He explained as he finished up. "So next time, I'm probably gonna charge you all for this…"

Tori smiled while waving his hand in a casual manner. "Oh come on, that's a pretty bad joke!"

He laughed a bit before looking at Tsukasa's serious face.

"….you're serious?"

He closed his eyes and started walking ahead as Tori tried to grab his attention with a worried face. Ayumi gave him a piercing stare before grabbing President Sakai's attention.

"President Sakai…"

"Hmm?" He turned his head to her direction.

"I want to ask you something…"

* * *

"Well, it looks like we're all in agreement then?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well then, guess we'll need to plan our rescue…:"

"Before that…"

Tori stepped out and brought everyone's attention to himself.

"I just want to say that I'm grateful to everyone for their support. I know that this will cause a lot of trouble in the future, and It'll probably be tough, but…"

"Shut up idiot!" Shirojiro stepped forward. "We've already agreed to help you out, not to mention this will make us a lot of money!"

"Money aside…" Asama also stepped forward. "We did agree to help you out, so that's enough."

Several more people began to step forward in agreement. Tori smiled before he turned and raised his fist to the sky.

"Well then everyone, let's go save Horizon!"

"Judgement!"

* * *

**_Honestly, I felt like the explanation for Tsukasa was a bit too long, but this was what I could come up with so far. Sorry if it's not satisfactory._**

**_Anyways, next chapter starts the next small assortment of sidestories. So far, I've planned out messed up dating(Idea courtesy of Raging Akuma D), hotsprings, a ghost hunt, and possibly a couple of stories of the past. Hope you'll look forward to it._**


	31. Sidestory - Dealing with Dating (Part 1)

_**Hey guys. It's been a while since my last chapter. Sorry if it's taken quite a while, but with the work that piles up prior to my Spring break here at the university, and the games that I'm really interested in, as well as the blocks I'm having on the stories, I couldn't really get a good time to think about my next chapters. But working on this started to get some gears moving, so hopefully I'll be able to think up a few good things this week. Anyways, here's the first of a few new sidestory chapters.**_

* * *

Dealing with Dating

The sky brightened as the sun began to rise into the sky, and Masazumi Honda was getting ready for the day. She checked her face in the mirror for anything out of place before nodding to herself and heading outside. After carefully looking around for any familiar faces, she started to run to the meeting place. However, in the distance, a figure was eyeing her with a sinister smile…

* * *

Kazu slipped into a clean jacket and checked for anything out of the ordinary. As he started to put on his shoes, he heard footstep coming closer.

"Hey, Kazu…" Ayumi walked in, half-asleep and rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing so early in the morning?"

"I'm heading out." He stood up while tapping his shoes. "I have something I have to do…"

"But's there's nothing going on today…" she yawned.

Kazu appeared to have ignored her as he opened the door of their apartment and started walking away.

"I'll be back late…"

* * *

_Blue Thunder_

* * *

"Hey….what do you want to do…." Tori asked in a dull tone. He was spread out on the table with a very bored look on his face. Hituro, Neshinbara, Tenzou, Kimi, and Asama all sat nearby while waiting for their orders.

"Well we have to wait for a couple of days until we reach our destination…" Asama started to drink a bit from her cup. "But until then, maybe it's better if we just rest…"

"True," Tenzou nodded in agreement as he folded his arms. "It's important for us to be in full condition when we begin our battles…"

"Not to mention, we probably won't be able to get much rest until we finish the diplomatic talks…" Neshinbara added as he continued working on his manuscript with Hituro. "So it's good to be lazy every once in a while…"

"But, I want to do something else today!" Tori started to shake his arms and legs like a spoiled child. "Isn't there anything we can do besides resting?"

"Foolish brother…" Kimi closed the magazine she was reading before walking behind Asama. "Perhaps you think it'd be interesting to do something with these?" She suddenly began to grope the Sniper Maiden's breasts while the maiden turned beet red from embarrassment and tried to pry her hands away.

"Sis, we already play with those every once in a while. I want to do something different than normal…" He started to slowly fall to the ground from boredom as Tsukasa and Horizon came by with their orders. As the two of them began to set the plates down, Tori turned his head to Tsukasa with the same bored expression.

"Hey Tsukasa, do you…"

"No."

"Too fast! You don't even know what I'm going to ask!"

"Actually, I don't really care…"

He turned his head to Horizon with the same expression.

"Hey Horizon, what ab…"

"No…"

"Can't you even think about it?!"

"No, while on break, I wish to work as a simple store clerk for this store." Horizon gave a terrifying look at her "partner". "Until I'm called for any diplomatic duties, meetings, or anything else important, I refuse to be a part of any mishaps or pranks you may conduct." She began to grip his head with disturbing strength while everyone else pretended not to notice. As they began to eat, Malga suddenly rushed inside with an evil grin on her face.

"Hey everyone! I just saw something interesting while on a morning delivery!"

"Oh? Exactly how interesting is this 'something'?" Kimi asked while cutting her food.

"I saw Seijun running somewhere suspiciously!"

"So?" Hituro spoke with a bit of bread in his mouth. "It doesn't really seem that different from normal…"

Malga gave a small chuckle before she continued. "She was running outside…with a dress on!"

A couple people choked as they began to take in the information that they were just given.

"I do not understand." Horizon stopped clenching Tori's head. "Is it not normal for women like Masazumi to wear clothing such as dresses?"

"Horizon! Masazumi hasn't worn any actual feminine clothing since we first saw her!" Asama exclaimed. "Even her current clothing is a mix between the Boys and Girls uniform!"

A glint appeared in Neshinbara's glasses. "If we can find out what she's wearing a dress for…" the author was lost in his own thoughts as he began to drool from the ideas that popped into his mind.

"Isn't it probably a date?"

The group suddenly turned to the owner of Blue Thunder, who came in from the back with a pitcher of water.

"I overheard her mumbling to herself about something a couple of days ago. It sounded like she wanted to go out on a sort of date…" She set the pitcher down before turning to Malga. "Was she acting suspicious?"

"Huh?"

"Did she look around before running off? Maybe she was nervous?"

"Now that you mention it…"

She started heading to the backroom. "Usually that means a person's going on a date. It'd probably be better to ignore it though, considering the way she is and all…"

As she turned around, she saw that the room was empty (except for Horizon and Tsukasa, who started cleaning up the remains).

"They have just ran outside to search for Masazumi-sama." Horizon reported. "Unfortunately, it seems that they have forgotten to pay for the meal…"

Tsukasa sighed as he started taking the plates. "Well, we'll just have them pay three-times the amount for the next meal. Make sure you make a note of this…"

"Judge. Understood…"

* * *

Kazu stood at the top of the stairs, looking over the rest of Musashi while he thought about what Masazumi had asked him yesterday….

"_Hey….Kazu…"_

_Kazu turned around to see Masazumi's nervous face._

"_Uhh…well…" She was fidgeting a lot as she seemed to be struggling to say something._

"_Yes?"_

"_T…This…"_

"_This?"_

"_T-This weekend!"_

_He looked severely confused by her sudden outburst._

"_Um, t-this weekend, uh, c-can you meet me at __**that**__ place?"_

"_You mean…"_

"_The place…where we…used to meet…before…."_

"_Oh, right…I guess so…"_

"_Really?!" It looked like she was smiling a bit as she tried to confirm his answer. He was a bit surprised, but nodded his head as she turned around and started walking away with slightly lighter steps._

"Wonder what this was supposed to be about…." He thought to himself as he sat down on a nearby bench. He folded his hands and started to think about the last few days when he noticed something at the stairway. Masazumi was breathing heavily as she ran to the top. He was shocked when he saw that she was wearing a white summer dress instead of her usual student uniform. He blushed as he saw her and momentarily lost his train of thought before recovering from the surprise.

"So, y-you came…" She stammered while avoiding his gaze.

"Y-Yeah, I did say I would…" he struggled to reply while looking away.

The two stood frozen for a few minutes before they both started to speak at the same time.

"Um…"

They spoke in unison, stammering in reply to each other, and struggled to hold any conversation until after a few failed attempts.

"W-Well, should we go?" Masazumi asked.

Kazu nodded his head in agreement as the two started walk away toward the shopping district.

* * *

"Wow, I guess she was right!" Tori exclaimed.

The group of misfits were hiding nearby as they started to spy on the couple walking together.

Kimi smiled as she spoke. "My, this seems like an interesting scoop…"

"I don't think we should be doing this…" Asama began to speak hesitantly.

"But when are we going to see something this interesting ever again?"

"But… isn't this kinda personal?"

"That's exactly why we should be doing this!" The Aoi siblings exclaimed together as they gave a thumbs up.

"How is that supposed to make any sense?!" Asama argued.

"Um…" Hituro began.

"What?!"

"While you both were talking, they've been getting further away…"

There was a short pause before the group started to move quickly to catch up with the couple.

Kazu and Masazumi would walk along the streets, occasionally stop in front of a local store and enjoy themselves inside. It didn't look like they noticed the stalkers that were secretly following their every move.

"I think there's a pretty good mood going on right now…" Neshinbara examined.

"True, but it's kind of boring when they're just walking around Musashi like always…" Tori replied.

"Well, since we're traveling, we shouldn't have any problems from bandits and such"

"Right." Hituro agreed. "Besides, not everything works like anime and manga you know…"

"Eh? But that's a lot more interesting! Can't we do something to make things more exciting?"

"Stupid brother…" Kimi wrapped her arm around Tori's neck. "We can't just go up and ruin a touching scene like this. It's just not right." She looked at the two and gave a motherly smile. "Who knows when we'll ever have a chance like this again? Moments like these are quite precious to us all, and we should treat it as such.

Asama began to smile. "Kimi's usually so intrusive of these kinds of things. To think she'd be so understand…"

Suddenly, Kimi brought up a screen with Heidi's face on it.

"Hey Heidi, Can I ask you a favor?"

Asama shook her head in disappointment. "I've should've known…"

* * *

Although the two smiled and appeared to enjoy themselves, they were each an emotional wreck…

* * *

_Kazu's thoughts..._

"_Aw geez, what the hell am I supposed to do right now? I agreed to go along with her, but…I really don't have any clue on how to do something like this. Is this supposed to be a date? It'd suck if the rest of the class knew about this. Well, it's not that bad I guess, I mean she is kinda cute in that dress… Wait, that's not the point. What the hell am I supposed to do here?"_

_Masazumi's thoughts..._

"_Aaahhh…I knew it, I look weird in this thing. I should've worn my regular uniform instead of trying something like this. He hasn't said anything about it so far, maybe he doesn't really care. But then, why does he keep glancing at me. Is it uncomfortable to be around me like this? Then why won't he say something? Maybe I should just go home. Wait, Father might still be around, and I can just imagine what he'd say about this. Uwaahh! What the hell am I supposed to do?_

* * *

These thoughts continued throughout the trip until they decided to sit down on a bench at the park. They both sighed simultaneously and buried their face in their hands in exhaustion.

"Hey, Honda-kun…" Kazu began while turning his head to her.

"Y-Yes?" She stammered while looking up.

"About that…dress…that you're wearing…"

"…"

"You look… pretty cute in it…"

Masazumi's face turned beet red from embarrassment as she turned her head away from Kazu.

"_Crap, did I go a bit too far?"_

"_He…he said he liked it! W-what am I supposed to do now?"_

The two sat quietly for a while before they started to talk again.

"Umm…H-How's your family doing?"

"They're f-fine… you should come by, o-one of these days…"

Silence hung in the air.

"Um…"

"The two opened their mouths simultaneously, as if to speak before suddenly closing them. Eventually, Masazumi broke the silence.

"Kazu, I…I wanted to tell you…."

Suddenly, Kazu held a finger to her mouth and slowly picked up a stone. As she began to wonder what he was doing, he quickly pitched the stone into the bushes. There was a thud, and a yell before the two of them walked over to see Tori lying on the ground with a large bump on his head.

"Aoi? What are you doing here?!"

Tori regained his consciousness and sat up. "Yo, Seijun! Kazu!" He raised his hand as he greeted them while giving his stupid smile. "Nice to see you both getting along."

Kazu clenched his hand into a fist and smiled while hiding his anger."What the hell are you doing here?"

"Um…" Tori laughed sheepishly without showing any intention of explaining himself. Just as Kazu began to step forward, he suddenly stopped frozen and turned his head to the nearest bush. He picked up another small pebble and flung it into the bush. A small rustling was heard as a couple figures stumbled out from their cover and grinned awkwardly.

"Neshinbara? Margot? The both of you are involved too?"

"Heh heh, sorry Seijun…" Margot scratched the back of her head as she apologized in embarrassment. "It's just that, we don't really get to see you in a dress much, and the chance was just too good to pass up…"

Masazumi dropped her head slightly in embarrassment.

"Well, since we're caught, do you mind if I ask you both a favor?" The angel asked suspiciously.

"What is it?" Kazu asked.

The three of them each quickly brought out a camera and started to aim at the couple.

"Say "cheese"!"

In a split-second, Kazu waved his hand, causing the cameras to short-circuit as he grabbed Masazumi and started to run while dragging her along. The trio was momentarily paralyzed from the shock before they could move again. Margot chuckled a bit as Neshinbara brought up a screen and contacted Kimi.

"They started to escape, it's up to the rest of you right now…"


	32. Sidestory - Dealing with Dating (Part 2)

_**It's been a while since my last chapter. But thanks for putting up with the wait guys.**_

* * *

"Really? Kazu's on a date with Masazumi?"

Ayumi was at Blue Thunder, chatting with the owner while waiting for her meal. In the back, Tsukasa was trying to cook while ignoring Horizon's offers to take over. The owner smiled as she swept the floor.

"Well that's what it sounds like. I guess he didn't tell you anything about it?"

Ayumi rested her head on the table as she sighed. "No, but it would explain why he left so early today…" She paused for a moment before talking. "We're old friends, but we haven't really shared anything about our personal lives. I guess his meeting with Seijun really changed him…"

The owner laughed softly before setting the broom against a wall and taking the seat across from her.

"Well then, isn't it time for you to start thinking about getting into a relationship?"

The student brought her head back up while laughing sarcastically. "Not really, there's nobody that really catches my attention here, and somebody needs to be the most sensible one in the group." Her eyes were half-closed as she started to talk to herself. "Besides…" She started to think about Sora and her past with him and Kazu before there was a sudden clang that brought her back to the present. Her order was placed in front of her, with Horizon staring with the same blank look on her face as always.

"Thanks Horizon…" She picked up her fork and started to eat as Horizon bowed and started to head to the back.

"Excuse me, master," The automatron suddenly asked. "Do you want the notes to be placed near the register?"

"Notes?" Ayumi asked confused.

"Well, Tori and a few others were also here earlier, but they left without paying after hearing about Kazu's date." The owner sighed before giving Horizon a reply. "How about you just leave it in the back?"

"Judge."

Horizon disappeared into the kitchen as Ayumi started to comprehend the information that was given to her..

"You mean…they're spying on Seijun and Kazu?"

* * *

Kazu continued to drag Masazumi along without explaining himself. They ran for what felt like hours before stopping in an alleyway to catch their breath.

"W…What the…hell…are you…doing…." Masazumi panted as she struggled to catch her breath.

Kazu also had a little trouble breathing, but quickly recovered and scanned the area while explaining.

"I guess they found out about our meeting. That's why they were trying to tail us all day."

She finally managed to catch her breath as she tried to take in what Kazu was telling her. She tried to adjust her hair, but noticed that Kazu's hand was holding hers as she started to raise them. She went deathly silent as she felt her face start to heat up.

"I think I know what they want, but you probably wouldn't like it, so…"

He suddenly noticed the unusual silence, and turned to see her looking down.

"What's wrong?" he asked before noticing their hands were still holding each other. His own face turned red as they quickly let go of each other out of embarrassment. They both stood in silence for a few minutes before he broke the silence.

"S-So," he began while looking away. "about what you wanted to tell me before…"

"Huh? Oh, right…" Masazumi started to fidget before she could speak. "Well…actually…" Kazu tried to prepare himself for what was about to come next. "I…I wanted to…."

Suddenly, a loud and boastful-sounding laughter was heard from above. The two of them looked up to see Kimi standing in a proud-manner, folding her arms and looking down on them (literally). She made some kind of suspicious signal, leaving the pair dumbfounded until they started to hear some footsteps growing louder and louder. They turned to see Shirojiro, Ulquiorra, and Malga at the end of the alley.

"What the…"

"Come on! We need to hurry up and take the picture!" The well-known miser declared as the three of them each brought out a camera. Kazu and Masazumi started to run back the way they came, but Margot, Persona, Nenji, and Hituro were blocking their path. Each of their classmates were holding a camera and tried to aim at the couple, but Kazu clenched his hand into a fist and opened it, creating a flash of bright light that temporarily blinded everyone in the area. After regaining their eyesight, they noticed their targets were nowhere to be found. Kimi leapt to the ground and raised her hand.

"Spread out and search! They can't have gone too far!"

"Judge!" The group chanted as they began their search for the couple.

* * *

The two of them retreated into Remorse Way, where Kazu started breathing heavily from all the running.

"Why is everyone doing this?!" Masazumi asked.

Kazu chuckled a bit. "They probably want to take a picture of you…" he replied.

She turned even redder.

"Seeing our 'miser' joining in pretty much confirmed it. He probably thinks he can make some money of your pictures."

She went into a state of shock. The idea that someone would see that photo…

Kazu tried to grab her attention, but she was frozen stiff. He sighed before picking her up cradle-style, and ran off to find someplace to hide.

* * *

"Any luck yet?"

Kimi was talking the Heidi via projection screen while standing on top of the roof and overlooking the area.

"Sorry Kimi-chan, but they're really elusive. I don't know if we'll be able to find them anytime soon."

"No excuses! We need to find them before the day ends today!" Kimi closed the screen and smiled as she looked up towards the sky. "_After all_," she thought. "_These carefree days won't last forever…"_

* * *

Masazumi opened her eyes to find an unfamiliar setting around her. It was a dorm room, but it wasn't familiar to her. Confused, she tried to think back to the last thing she could remember.

"I was with Kazu, we were being chased, then…."

She suddenly remembered his last words, and shook her head to avoid going back into shock. As she started to regain her senses, she noticed her body was lying on something soft. Looking down, she saw that she was lying on a couch. She was about to stand up and look around when…

"How are you doing?"

She turned her head to the voice and saw Kazu with a blanket in his arms. "Fine…" she replied as she felt her face warm up a bit. Kazu was looking away while he tossed the blanket to his sudden guest, and sat on the floor across from her.

"I think we'll be safe here. Nobody came in the area recently." Kazu scratched his head as he continued. "But if I knew I was going to bring you here, I would've asked Ayumi to have cleaned up a bit…"

The young politician's face turned red as she came to a sudden realization. "_T-T-This must be Kazu's room…_" she thought to herself as she quickly glanced around.

It looked like she was in the living room. A large TV was propped against the wall across from her, placed on top of a stand with a small console shelved below. A round table was placed in the middle of the room with seat cushions placed at opposite ends, and a small bowl of snacks in the middle. A small assortment of books were scattered here and there, but aside from that, the room looked fairly clean.

"Sorry if it's uncomfortable, but with just me and Ayumi…"

Masazumi shook her head as she smiled gently. "No…it's fine."

"I see…"

Kazu stood up and started to walk to the kitchen. "I'll get us something to drink, so you can just rest there…"

As he disappeared, Masazumi started to look around the room again. She breathed in the air heavily and took in the smell that filled the area. Kazu's smell…

She suddenly shook her head wildly as she felt her face heat up again.

"_No, no, no! This just makes me seem like a stalker!" _she thought to herself.

As she started to panic, her eyes suddenly rested on a small assortment of pictures that were framed on the wall nearby. Interested, she looked closely at the smaller picture, which held the image of a younger boy wearing a straight face and a bandanna in a familiar style. "_This must have when Kazu was younger…" _she thought to herself as she grinned. Her eyes turned to another picture frame that held the same young Kazu, but with two older adults, each smiling widely in contrast to his annoyed look. She began to wonder if they were his parents, but her eyes suddenly turned to another frame of a small child smiling brightly with goggles hanging around his neck. This was…

"Sora…" Kazu said as he entered holding a tray with cups and a teapot. Masazumi turned around quickly and began to stammer as she tried to make up an excuse. Kazu didn't seem to care since he calmly placed the tray on the table and started to walk over to the pictures.

"Geez, I told Ayumi to take these down…" he told himself. However, despite his annoyance, he was slightly grinning.

"Um…" Masazumi began. "When you say Sora, you mean…"

"Yeah…" Kazu started to become a bit depressed as he looked at the picture. "It was when we were kids…" He stared in silence for a bit before he sat down at the table and started to pour the tea. "But that's a story for another time…"

"Then the kid wearing the bandanna…"

"Yeah, that's me…"

"So then those two in that picture, are they your parents?"

Kazu flinched after hearing her question, spilling a bit of tea from his cup and nearly dropped the pot. His face changed as his eyes glared and he frowned slightly. "Those people….aren't my real parents…"

* * *

_**Not sure this ended up being a good chapter. Sorry if it seemed a bit rushed or a somewhat poor job of writing.**_


	33. Sidestory - Dealing with Dating (Part 3)

_**So we've finally gotten to the conclusion of this sidestory, I'm still uncomfortable with making romance chapters, so I'm not sure if it went well here. I've been going through Visual Novels to get an idea of how to make one, but I'm not sure if it helped. Still, I've grown somewhat fond of this pairing...**_

* * *

"They're not…" Masazumi began in surprise.

"…as in we're not related by blood…"

"Huh?"

"I grew up in the streets of my old home, and they just suddenly decided to take me in. It's not like I'm ungrateful for that, but…" Kazu's face went pale as he began to recall a trauma, and shuddered as he took his cup and started to drink. Masazumi began to fear the knowledge of what he had experienced from his adopted parents, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she hesitantly asked the five fated words.

"What exactly did they do?"

Kazu's face went dark as he slowly turned his head toward her and began to speak.

"They….they…."

Masazumi swallowed hard to prepare herself for the answer.

"They…made me cosplay…" Kazu answered while placing a hand over his face from embarrassment.

"….Eh?" Masazumi tilted her head slightly from the unexpected answer

"Yeah, my step mom forced me into a lot of cosplay outfits when I was a kid. She was a freakin pervert who didn't even hesitate to force me into that crap. I didn't know true terror until that day when it all started…" Kazu's eyes widened under his hand as he pictured his hellish days. "Butler…Samurai…Gakuen…even a wizard…they were all forced on me while growing up…"

Unnoticed by Kazu, Masazumi's eyes slightly sparkled as she began to imagine Child Kazu in the various costumes he listed outloud. She could envision these images with a flowery background (_Author note: Basically, think of those scenes romance manga that show that sparkling bubbly background with flowers or whatever_)

"But the worst…the absolute worst…." Kazu nearly choked before barely managing to get his words out. "….w….was the…k…k…k…."

"K?"

"k…kimono…."

Masazumi silently cried as she envisioned him wearing a kimono and giving off a radiant glow. Kazu hung his head low before he recovered and continued his explanation.

"My father…he wasn't really that bad, but he didn't exactly help stop me mother with her…." He paused to find the right words. "…issues…. And he was also really carefree with his life, it made me question a lot whether they were really soldiers in their life…"

Masazumi recovered and suddenly brought her attention to what he said. "They were soldiers?"

"Yeah, I've seen how they fight a couple of times, and they're definitely ex-soldiers. But, I don't know why they left in the first place…"

Masazumi turned back to the pictures, and briefly glanced over them. She noticed something unusual and decided to bring it up with Kazu.

"Um, I don't really see Ayumi in any of these pictures…"

Kazu drank a bit of his tea before quickly glancing over and pointing towards a picture. It showed a young Kazu looking annoyed while a young Sora smiled cheerfully with an arm wrapped around Kazu's neck. A young girl with violet hair, tied in a familiar ponytail-style, and light blue eyes had her arms crossed while leaning on Sora and grinning happily.

"This must have been the three of them when they were kids." She thought to herself as she smiled. However, looking around, she noticed that it was the only picture with Ayumi in it. Kazu seemed to have noticed her face, because he quickly explained. "She doesn't like to talk about her past that much, and she tries to hide as much of it as possible." He drank some more tea as he continued. "We didn't really feel like it was any of our business to ask about each other, so we just pretended to ignore it."

His face was stern and serious, so Masazumi decided to stop asking any questions. Shortly after, Kazu stood up and left the room for a bit. He came back with a pillow and tossed it Masazumi. "They'll probably be looking for you all night, so you can just sleep here." Masazumi was slightly shocked and was about to say something before…

"Don't worry, I'll explain to Ayumi about this when she gets back. You don't need to worry about it" He scratched the back of his head as he started to think about how to explain the situation. Masazumi opened her mouth to speak, and silently closed it shortly after. She sighed as she started to lie down on the couch.

* * *

Kimi was sitting on a bench at the park, staring up at the sky while thinking about Musashi's future. Her face frowned slightly as she began to worry about the trials that they would face as they search for the Seven Armaments. She suddenly noticed her brother as he waved and started to run up to her. She smiled gently as she greeted him and closed her eyes as he sat down next to her.

"So," she began. "Are you sure you want to continue this?"

"What do you mean sis?" Tori replied with his usual grin. "Aren't you the one who asked Heidi to call everyone to help us out with…"

"I'm talking about conquering the Far East. Are you sure you want to go that far?"

Tori paused a bit before giving a gentle smile and folding his hands while resting on top of them. "Yeah, I know it'll be hard to get everything done, and I guess a lot of people will think it's impossible. But…" he turned his head to his sister. "I think I can get it done. After all, I've got you, Seijun, Horizon, and all our friends to help out!" He stood up. "Besides, I really love Horizon! And I'll make sure I'll do whatever I can to see her smile again!"

Kimi smiled, stood up and wrapped her arm around his neck. "Well then, I guess we'll need to make sure we give it our all to help our future king…" The two of them started to stare into the sky while the sun began to set. However, Adele appeared running with a slightly panicked look on her face. She saw the Aoi siblings and ran up as quickly as possible. She started breathing heavily before barely spitting out words. "R-Run….the others…they've…"

But before she could finish her sentence, a figure fell from the sky and landed on top of the young girl, holding a blade near her throat and frightening the young girl while giving a bored look on her own face.

"Oh, Ayumi! Where have you been?" Tori started to walk over when Ayumi suddenly grabbed his arm and threw him over her shoulder. After pinning him down and knocking him unconscious, she turned to Kimi who was crossing her arms and smiling with a proud look on her face.

"My, my…are you the one Adele mentioned who's been attacking our class?"

Ayumi pointed her blade to Kimi as she answered. "Of all the ideas you guys came up with, this one's the worst." She looked pissed as she glared at her. The end of the blade was just barely touching Kimi's soft skin, however, it was slightly quivering, signaling that it's wielder was struggling to keep herself from lashing at her target. Kimi continued to stay calm while returning the glare with a calm and easygoing stare from her own eyes.

"Isn't it fine? It's not like we're interrupting them…"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING ALL DAY!" Ayumi shouted in an irritated tone. "LIKE HELL YOU'VE BEEN LEAVING THEM ALONE!"

"Well, they weren't making any progress. We needed **something** to get things going…"

"DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE WORD 'DELICATE' ?!"

"Of course I do. 'Delicate' is a term used to describe something soft and beautiful. Like these…" She held up her own breasts as she spoke. "…as well as those." She nudged her head towards Ayumi's breasts, making her red-faced and instinctively covered them as Kimi made a high kick and knocked her sword away before running quickly from the scene.

"W-Wait a minute!" Ayumi yelled hopelessly as she made a futile reach to grab Kimi (who was well out of sight at this point). She sighed as she grabbed the unconscious Tori and struggling Adele, and started walking away.

* * *

_Blue Thunder_

* * *

"So you've finally caught them all?"

"Yeah…"

Ayumi was sitting in a chair at Blue Thunder, drinking a glass of water while the owner sat across from her smiling. The entire class of Plum-3, with the exception of Kazu, Masazumi, Ichijou, Suzu, Asama, amd Kimi, were each tied up and left on the floor, sitting on their knees as Ayumi turned to them and gave a dark, bone-chilling stare. Most of the class panicked as she simply watched them with bloodthirsty eyes. Tsukasa appeared shortly after, wiping his hands on his work apron before removing it and setting it behind the counter. He gave an exhausted sigh as he sat down next to the owner.

"Everything's set. Horizon will bring it over shortly…" He said, staring at Ayumi, who didn't move an inch to acknowledge him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes…" Ayumi replied without shifting. "They need to be punished for what they did today…"

"Ahhh, what are you going to do?" Tori asked cheerfully as he shook himself in a lewd and immodest way. "Are you going to take a whip and XXXXX our XXXXXXXX by XXXXXXXX?" At this point, Neshinbara, Ulquiorra, and Tenzo began to squirt blood from their nose while several of the girls had red faces. Ayumi gave a dark chuckle. "No, it's much worse…"

Horizon appeared carrying several trays of food into the room and placed one in front of each prisoner.

"Food?" Shirojiro questioned as he looked at their "punishment". "Don't tell me…" He glared at Ayumi. "This is an expensive meal that will cost us a lot of money!"

"Only you would think of that Shiro…" Heidi answered with her usual smile.

"Don't worry, all this is free. And all you have to do is eat it…" Ayumi explained with a sinister look on her face. "You just need to finish up all this food…that Horizon made herself…"

Several members of the class turned pale as they realized the horror placed in front of them. The rest were quite confused by the situation.

"What? That doesn't seem so bad…" Adele managed to free one hand and used it to take a bite of the food in front of her. She chewed a few times before suddenly, she stopped. Her face began to turn green while her eyes began to roll backwards. A burst of smoke appeared from her mouth, as her body suddenly went limp, and she fell face-first onto the ground. The others panicked as they learned the terror that awaits them, and shivered as Ayumi turned her head with a possessed look and asked "Who's next?"

* * *

Masazumi suddenly shivered as she heard something faint from outside, almost like a scream.

"Something wrong?" Kazu asked as he poked his head into the room. She shook her head as she lay back down onto her "bed". She felt uncomfortable staying over at her classmate's room.

Wait, was that the right word? She wanted them to be closer than friends, but she didn't get to say it. Every time she tried to tell him, they were interrupted by someone else. Right now seems like the perfect chance, but why was she hesitating? Was it because she expected something else to happen and ruin the chance? No, there was plenty of time for something to happen. It was because she was afraid. She was worried that he might turn her down, or refuse her feelings. She wanted to let him know, but at the same time, she didn't. But if she didn't say anything soon, she might lose the chance forever.

"Well, I guess I'll just leave you alone then…" Kazu sighed as he started to leave. Masazumi laid frozen, unable to move her body. No, it wasn't that she couldn't, it's that she didn't want to move. She was frozen with fear as Kazu moved further and further away. He was about to close the door between them when…

"Kazu!"

He stopped as Masazumi yelled out his name. He turned to her and waited for her to continue.

"C-Can you make it…warmer here?"

He gave a slightly confused look. "It's pretty warm outside, you can just open the window…"

"W-Well…" she felt her face turn red. "S-Someone might see us…"

"It's fine, I don't think anyone will see."

"But, what about the bugs?"

"It shouldn't be much of a problem…"

"Just… please don't open the window…"

"Fine, I'll get you an electric blanket or something…"

Before Kazu could react, Masazumi suddenly grabbed him and forced him into the sofa before she sat down next to him and covered herself with his arms and the blanket. Kazu tried to leave, but she held him tightly, without any intention of letting him go, so he gave up and just sat down embarrassed. He shifted his eyes to Masazumi, who was looking down with an embarrassed face, like a child who just met a stranger. He scratched his head a bit before lifting her up and setting her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head on her shoulder. He closed his eyes and smiled as she slightly struggled to get away from him. He held her tightly until she stopped, and waited until she calmed down before speaking up.

"So, did you want to tell me something?"

Masazumi hesitated before she began. "I…I wanted…to….tell you that…." She hesitated again before taking a deep breath and continuing. "that…I…I Iove you…."

There was a brief silence before Kazu suddenly chuckled and gripped her a bit tighter. "I…kinda feel the same way…" The two sat together smiling happily. Masazumi turned her head to say something, but her eyes widened as her lips met with his, locked in a slight embrace. She quickly turned her head away, but heard him as he laughed a bit. She secretly smiled as she left his arms and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. At that moment, despite everyone's determination and efforts, she thought to herself that she wouldn't mind if the world ended at that moment. Right now, she wished that until the morning came, until she had to explain to her father about her disappearance, she wanted this moment to last.

"I'm back…" Ayumi announced in an exhausted tone. She started to slip out of her shoes and started walking into the living room. "Hey Kazu, how did your date with Seijun go…." She stopped in place and looked at the sofa and smiled. Kazu and Masazumi were both close to each other, covered in the same blanket and sleeping with their heads leaning on each other. Their faces looked peaceful and calm, making it difficult to break the moment. She quietly sneaked outside and closed the door before leaving the area.

* * *

_**Well, hopefully I can get my next chapter in soon. Thanks for sticking with me so far...**_


	34. Sidestory - Tainted Waters (Part 1)

_**So a few notes before reading this chapter...**_

_**1. If you're still there dad90, I'm REALLY sorry about the long delay, but I've finally started introducing your characters. Please comment on how I did, and let me know if there's something wrong.**_

_**2. This story takes place in the past. PRIOR to the main story. (It's somewhat confusing, I know, and I'm really sorry about that)**_

_**3. I'm starting to struggle from writer's block again. That, and the fact that since the semester is ending here at the university, and I need to go through a lot of things like where to store my stuff, plane tickets for home, etc; I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter. Sorry again.**_

_**Anyways, here's the first chapter of the next sidestory. As always, enjoy, and if there's anything you want to comment about my writing or whatever, please feel free.**_

* * *

Tainted Waters

A large ship hung high in the air of the Far East, bearing the words "_Tenebrosa Aqua_" on the side of its hull. It was much smaller than the usual ships that held countries and nations, but it was still a fairly large size. White lines were painted in a sanzu-style near the top in contrast to the dark blue paint that coated the entire ship. Inside, five shadowy figures sat in various spots inside the ship, looking at the giant screen that was flashing in front of them.

"Now then…." One of the figures smiled as light reflected on his sword's tsuba, which was shaped into a dragon's head. "Let's go pay a visit to the people of Musashi…"

* * *

_Sakai Household..._

* * *

"Ichijou, why don't you go take a break today?"

Ichijou Sakai, a young teenager with short, wavy black hair and brown eyes, turned to his uncle, Tadagatsu Sakai, who was the easygoing President of Musashi. Ichijou wiped his forehead of the sweat from his sword practice as he frowned slightly at his smiling relative.

"Uncle, I'd rather use my spare time to train myself and get stronger." He replied. "Someday Musashi may enter a time of war, and I want to be prepared to defend it in its time of need. I can't just…"

"Yes, yes…" his uncle interrupted while waving his hand. "But if you keep working so hard, you'll collapse before you even take the first step. Hard work is good and all, but you should go spend some time with your classmates or something…"

Ichijou sighed before grabbing a towel from one of the automatrons nearby, and started walking toward the house. "Alright, I'll take a break…" he answered in a reluctant tone. "But I'm not going to take too long. I'll return in about an hour or so…."

Five minutes later, he was at the entrance while wearing a jacket over his freshly washed school uniform. He left the building and informed the automatrons of his absence as he went into the small town. At the second floor of the building, Tadagatsu Sakai was smoking his pipe as he watched his nephew leave. He grinned as he turned to his chair and sat down in front of his desk. Before he could start going through a few papers, there was a small knock on his door.

"Come in," he said as a red-haired automatron entered and bowed before speaking. "Tadagatsu-sama, there is a guest outside who asked me to give you this piece of paper."

The elderly president grabbed the small slip that was offered, and glanced at its contents. He made a serious face as he told the automatron to let the stranger in, and crumpled the paper before tossing it into the trash bin.

* * *

Ichijou walked along the market area as he started to think about Tadakatsu Honda, and his daughter. Although he had effectively quit as Tadakatsu's student, he was still worried about their well-being, especially Futayo. He subconsciously placed a hand over the pendant that she gave him when they were kids, before returning to his surroundings. He started walking a bit faster, when suddenly, he noticed a middle-aged high schooler who looked like he was harassing a couple of students from Ariadust Acadamy. Ichijou calmly made his way to the group and placed a hand on the guy's shoulder.

"What's going on?" He asked as the stranger quickly turned around started to panic a bit.

"Um….s-sorry for….hitting on your….girlfriend?" the stranger stammered. Looking closely, Ichijou noticed that the stranger had heterochromia eyes, the left one was black while the other was an abnormal red. He wore an orange beanie that covered most of his hair, however he could see strands of the young man's black hair sticking out while the front of his hair was openly shown in a highlighted red . Ichijou sighed and removed his hand. "I'm just wondering if you're harassing them. I don't even know who they are…"

The girls left the area quickly as the stranger grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Sorry, I was just asking for a date, but they seemed like they were really playing hard to get…"

"_Or you just don't understand the word 'no'…"_ Ichijou thought to himself. Looking at his uniform, which consisted of a classic school Gakuen uniform with a red undershirt, there was a good chance that he was an outsider. Ichijou started to leave when the stranger began to speak up. "Actually, before I started hitting on them, I wanted to know if they knew directions on how to get somewhere. The Sakai household to be exact…"

Ichijou suddenly stopped as he slowly turned his head towards the stranger, who was boldly smiling with a slightly piercing stare. "Sounds like you know the place very well…"

* * *

Ayumi and Kuina were walking along the shopping district, each carrying large bags filled with groceries for the party that they were going to have that evening. Kuina listened to Ayumi as she talked about her childhood with Kazu, and his embarrassing moments. In turn, she shared with Ayumi about Plum-3's embarassing moments and the chaos that ensued as a result. The two girls were laughing together and continued talking when suddenly, a dark-skinned young man with spiky black hair suddenly appeared in front of them and tried talking to them while stroking his hair and smiling. His uniform, a classic school gakuen uniform with a tanktop in place of the undershirt, was very open, hinting that he was attempting to seduce them.

"Hello Ladies," he said giving a very radiant aura. "I was hoping that the two of you would be willing to help me with something…"

The two stared for a bit before Kuina spoke up. "Um…why are you trying so hard to look cool?"

"Kuina…just ignore the weirdo," Ayumi interrupted. "I think he's trying to hit on us…"

The stranger looked like daggers were suddenly shoved into his chest, and looked heavily depressed before recovering and talking normally.

"I'm actually serious about the help. So do you both mind telling me directions for the Sakai household?"

Ayumi shifted her eyes suspiciously as Kuina acknowledged the stranger's request and began to give him the directions. Afterwards, the stranger gave his thanks and walked away.

"You sure that was a good idea?" She asked as Kuina waved her hand goodbye at the stranger.

"It's fine, there wasn't any ill intentions as far as I know…"

"Well then, what do you think about his abilities?" Ayumi asked as Kuina suddenly wiped away her façade and replied with a more serious tone in her voice.

"I'm not sure about his romantic skills, but he's definitely stronger than he looks." She said eyeing the stranger closely. "We should be prepared, just in case something happens…"

* * *

Asama, Adele, Hituro, and Neshinbara were all looking around to gather the props they needed for the party tonight, and started chatting about the old days, schoolwork, and whatever else they could bring up. As they started to talk about their chancellor's recent mishaps, a cloaked figure was walking toward them while dragging his feet along slightly; giving the impression that he was tired, or somewhat troubled. As he passed by, Adelle suddenly stopped and turned towards the figure. The others watched as she suddenly started to follow the figure with an enchanted look in her eyes, and decided to see what was going on. They all traveled a few feet before she suddenly went to the cloaked figure, who was sitting on a nearby bench, and sat down next to him. She inched closer to the stranger, who tried moving further away from her. As she tried to move closer to the opening of his hood, the three quickly ran up to them with a somewhat panicked look on their faces.

"Adele, that's enough!" Asama shouted while blushing. "You shouldn't be trying to do something so indecent to someone you just met!"

Adele didn't appear to be listening, as she acted as if nobody else was nearby. Hituro tried snapping his fingers, but she still didn't take any notice.

"Did you have something to do with this?" he asked as he turned his head to the cloaked figure.

"I'm sorry…" the figure sighed as he brought out a syringe filled with an unusual substance, then jabbed it into Adelle's neck. Her eyes widened before they closed and went as limp as a ragdoll.

"What the hell did you just do?!" Asama yelled out in shock. The figure stood up and left Adelle lying on the bench.

"It's a special tranquilizer, It'll numb her pheromones for about a few hours of so, so she won't be acting like this again anytime soon."

Hituro and Asama gave blank, doubtful stares. However, Neshinbara went into thought until he suddenly made a face of realization.

"Are you by chance a Furyon?"

"Furyon?" The other two chimed together as the figure went deathly silent.

* * *

Masazumi Honda walked towards Blue Thunder. She gripped her stomach as pain began to shoot through from the intense hunger she was experiencing.

"Haaaa… I wonder if I'll even make it there in one piece…" she mumbled to herself as she sighed. Walking further down the path, she saw a crowd of people gathering around a nearby building. As she got closer to the crowd, she noticed that they were all looking toward the roof, and followed their gaze before being shocked at what she saw. A young man with light-brown hair spiked outward was standing on top of the roof, looking out towards the horizon. As she wondered what to do about the situation, Tori suddenly appeared, waving his arms and shouting out at the strange man.

"HEY! KAZUMA! I'VE FOUND THE SHOP YOU WANTED!"

The figure leapt down from the roof and landed on the ground without a scratch. Upon closer inspection, he had a scar on his chin, though it wasn't very noticeable while looking at his smiling face. He wore a classic gakuen uniform, hinting at his status as an outsider of Musashi, but was wearing it in a more unusual way by having a hoodie beneath his outer jacket. He talked with Tori for a bit before they both smiled and laughed a bit while walking away.

Masazumi just stared dumbfounded for a few minutes before shaking her head and pretending to have seen nothing in the last few minutes. She suddenly remembered her original goal, and started to drag her feet as the hunger pains began to kick back in.

* * *

_**I'm sorry if this seems kinda short. I promise that there will be more action starting next chapter. Also, "Furyon" is something that dad90 came up with, and I'll go into more detail next time.**_

_**Anyways, sorry about making you guys wait. I promise that I'll try to make/upload the next chapter as soon as possible**_


	35. Sidestory - Tainted Waters (Part 2)

**_Ahhh, it's been quite a while since I've made an update. I've been struggling on how to continue this particular part of the story, and with all the new games coming up, and the anime-convention in July, I've also been looking for a summer part-time job to get some money. But I don't think that's a good excuse, so let me apoligize to you all for the long delay, and I'm sorry that I've broken a promise. I said that this chapter would contain action, but it's actually a couple chapters more, so please be patient!_**

**_Anyways, here's the next chapter of the"Tainted Waters" sidestory..._**

* * *

_"This is a problem…"_

Ichijou was walking through the street of Musashi, following a stranger he met just moments ago. He was stupid to let his guard down for a moment, just because the outsider seemed pathetic (He still does). He had no idea what the outsider's plan was, and it was too dangerous to attack without knowing whether he had allies or not. As Ichijou began thinking about the best possible action to take at this point, the stranger suddenly turned around and gave a small smile before speaking.

"Actually, as long as we're traveling together, we should probably introduce ourselves. My name is Ryuuji. Ryuuji Tamiya "

"…Ichijou…" he replied after hesitating for a bit. He decided that it would've been best if he left out his last name, just in case.

"Ichijou huh?" Ryuuji turned back to the front and continued walking through the district. He started humming to himself, making it harder to believe that he gave such a dangerous stare moments ago.

"_Why does he want to go to uncle's home? Does he plan to assault him? But if that's the case, why did he risk showing himself in public instead of a silent attack?"_ Ichijou's thoughts began to swirl inside his head of the possibilities and reasons until he started to feel something on his forehead and brought himself back to reality. Ryuuji was tapping his head while trying to grab his attention. Ichijou knock away his arm with his own, and scowled at him.

"Ah, so you're awake!" Ryuuji said. He smiled cheerfully as he saw Ichijou's face. "Hey, no need to be so grumpy! I just wanted to get your attention because you weren't answering my question!"

Ichijou relaxed his face and crossed his arms. "Sorry. What was your question?"

"Well, I just wanted to know if you could tell me if there was anywhere people would go to hang out. Like a restaurant or a bar, maybe?"

Ichijou closed his eyes as he went into thought before opening them again.

"The only place I can think of is 'Blue Thunder', but…."

"Well then, let's get going!"

As he started to walk faster, Ichijou started to relax his guard for a moment before remembering what happened earlier, and kept a cautious nature as he followed Ryuuji.

"_He looks stupid, but I should still be careful. I can't trust him…can I?"_

* * *

"Furyon?" Hituro and Asama chimed together as the figure went silent.

"They're supposedly special beings from Germany that can drain energy from other people." Neshinbara began to explain. "More or less vampires, in other words."

"Wait, aren't vampires supposed to be blood suckers?" Hituro asked confused.

"Well the vampire story was supposedly originated from the really old times, when people were very superstitious about evil demons and such. However, all myths involved blood, more or less, so that's why they were considered blood suckers. In fact, one of the most popular vampires, Dracula, originally came from someone called Vlad III, a.k.a. Vlad the Impaler. He was known for…."

"Um, Neshinbara…." Hituro interrupted. "You're more or less boring us here with your off-topic lecture."

"Oh, sorry about that…" The novelist rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment before giving a slight cough.

"So vampires is more accurately a life thief…" Hituro said as he softly scratched his cheek. "Then I guess Makiko-sensei is a vampire as well…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, during her lectures, it always seems like I'm getting weaker and sleepier as the day drags on…."

"I'm pretty sure that's just a lack of interest…"

Hituro laughed embarrassed while the figure just sat silently. Neshinbara remembered his original question, and turned his head back to the suspected Furyon. "So, are you one?"

There was a moment of silence before the figure answered softly.

"Half…"

"Huh?"

"I'm a Halfling." He repeated in a slightly louder tone.

"Hafling? So you only have half of the blood of a Furyon?"

"Yeah…my Furyon blood used to be dormant inside my body, but something happened to forcefully release it, so I can't really control it well. As a result, almost every woman that gets close to me would end up asking for a lot." The figure gave a cold laugh, like he thought it was a bad joke. But the three of them could tell that he was more spiteful of this fact than he tried to sound.

"Then, that serum you gave Adelle…"

"Apparently, it's the magic that's released from my pores, so I gave her something that made her a bit more sensitive to magic in general."

"I see, that's why Asama wasn't going head-over-heels for you and strip…." Asama gave a sharp blow to Hituro's head, making him drop his bags and clench the sides of his head as he tried to lessen the pain. He turned his head to see her face darken and a cold stare piercing into his mind before shaking a bit and deciding to shut up before he died.

The figure sighed before continuing. "Pretty much. I assume she's a shrine maiden, so her body's already magically aware, and naturally protects her from my…condition…. As for guys…well as far as I know, it doesn't affect them…"

"I see," Hituro nodded his head as he started to recover from the pain. "So in short, you're a natural womanizer…" He felt another sharp glare from Asama as the figure gave a small chuckle.

"That may be true, but I prefer to find a woman someone who wasn't attracted to me because of my….sex appeal…" the figure answered. "Well then, she'll wake up in a couple minutes, it's probably better that I'm not around just in case." He stood up. "Do you all mind telling me where the Sakai household is?"

Asama was about to speak before Neshinbara held up his hand to stop her, and glared.

"I think you should give us your name first. We've already given you our names, so I think it's fair that you share us your own…."

There was a small pause as the two stared at each other. Then suddenly, they grinned.

"Grey Kageyama That's my name…"

Neshinbara lowered his arm as he told Grey how to reach his Halfling qaved as he covered his head with the cloak and walked away. As the three of them watched a waking Adele, the novelist clunched his hand into a tight fist as he thought about the fierce strength he could sense behind the calm eyes, and couldn't help but tremble in both fear and excitement.

* * *

P-01s was dusting the entrance to Blue Thunder as a dark-skinned young man appeared in front of her.

"Hello young miss," the man spoke while brushing the front of his hair. "I was wondering…"

"I'm sorry, but my master has informed me to never speak to perverts while working." The automatron spoke without even pausing from her duties. The man twitched his eye before giving a small cough and trying to speak more normally.

"Then, how about…."

"It is considered bad manners if you do not introduce yourself in a conversation. If you are trying to annoy me, then you are quite successful…"

The man was beginning to lose his composure, but maintained control as he tried to smile.

"Sorry, my name is Jake Reynolds. Nice to m….."

"I did not ask for your name. Strangers can easily take advantage of such information if it is carelessly given away." The automatron looked up to the man named Jake "Are you an idiot?"

Jake started to slump as he went into a depressing state. His body was in the fetal position as the automatron continued to sweep without paying any attention to the damage she had unintentionally caused. Shortly after, two figures appeared carrying stacks of books, games, and other assortment of entertainment from the local stores. One of the figures tripped and tumbled into the ground, spilling the contents and rolling into ground right underneath P-01s. The figure looked up underneath the automatron's apron, and gave a thumps up.

"Nice view!" he shouted as P-01s suddenly started brushing on the boy furiously. Her face was still as emotionless as the other automatrons, but the anger she felt was obvious through her actions.

"There appears to be a large piece of trash in this area. I must perform my duties and sweep it away…"

As the automatron continued to sweep furiously on the boy (who appeared to be enjoying the treatment like a masochist would), the other figure called out to Jake.

"Kurotetsu? Is that you?"

Jake looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Kagare…"

* * *

"Ehhh?! The two of you know each other?"

Tori, Kazuma, and Jake sat together at a table inside Blue Thunder as P-01s was in the back getting them water. Jake sat while supporting his head with his arm, looking at the window outside. Kazuma grinned as he spoke to Tori.

"Yeah, we're pretty much part of the same group that's visiting Musashi right now. But we all decided to meet up later. I really wanted to see all the stuff I could get from here, so I'm grateful that you decided to show me around…"

"Ah, no problem, no problem…" Tori replied while waving his hand like a gossiping woman. "I wanted to go get a new eroge game from that place anyways, so it wasn't really any trouble!"

"Huh? A new eroge game?"

"Yeah!" Tori reached into his pile and brought out a hard case of the recent release. Kazuma held it and brought it closer to his face as he gasped in amazement. P-01s returned with a tray of cups, and gave a slight bow before leaving. As the three started to drink, Kazuma noticed Jake wasn't talking much, and tried to get his attention.

"Hey, what were you doing in front of Blue Thunder anyways?"

The question obviously took him by surprise since he suddenly choked on his water and started gasping for air. The other two looked confused as he stuggled to answer.

"I was….just...talking….to…."

"P-01s?" Tori asked slightly surprised.

"Hitting on her is probably more like it…." Kazuma answerd while smiling devilishly.

Jake's face turned a bit red as he pretended to ignore them. Tori gave his usual bright smile as he waved his finger.

"You aim high, don't you! But you can't just try talking to her…" He crossed his arms while closing his eyes and giving a confident smile. "You need to let her know through your actions…." He opened his eyes. "For example, I show her my love by checking the way her suit clings tightly to her skin. Especially around the butt. Looking at it, you can just imagine how wonderful it is to just reach out and…."

"Oops…" The automatron exclaimed in the usual dull tone as they all heard something fall. They turned to see P-01s had spilled food and drinks all over the pile of recent purchases. Tori and Kazuma yelled out in horror as they rushed in to salvage as much as they could from the damage.

"It was a simple accident." P-01s explained. "I didn't expect the orders to suddenly fall onto your pile of purchases…" Jake looked up and saw that despite her claim, the way she held the tray and the way that their orders were spilled had obviously proven that it wasn't an accident. However, he decided to keep quiet as a personal revenge to their talk earlier.

The doorbell chimed as two more figures entered the store. P-01s turned to the door and bowed.

"Welcome Ichijou-sama, would you like to order something for you and your friend?"

"We're not friends…" Ichijou replied as he scratched his head. He looked around and suddenly saw Tori digging through the enormous pile of objects. Tori raised his head while crying in despair until he noticed him and waved his arm while giving the usual stupid smile.

* * *

"Ichijou! What are you doing here?" Tori asked while wearing a silly grin.

"_That's my line…"_ Ichijou thought to himself as he noticed two other strangers nearby. He was about to put them out of his mind when Ryuuji suddenly walked up to them and greeted them casually.

"Yo! Kazuma! Jake! How are you guys doing?"

Ichijou raised his guard once more. His arms stiffened as he prepared for a sudden attack. However, the other two looked as harmless as Ryuuji appeared to be. Kazuma was sobbing from his…apparent loss… while Jake just waved his hand without changing his posture. He held his breath as he waited for someone to make their move. He felt an unusual pressure on his whole body as he slowly moved his hand toward one of his swords. He became more self-conscious of himself, his breathing felt louder; his body felt like it would go crazy the moment something happened. As he told himself to start moving….

"Ichijou-sama, is there something wrong?"

His mind yelled as he came back to reality and turned his head to Horizon, who was standing next to him and staring at his face. He touched his forehead and noticed that he was sweating. He sighed and walked over towards the table nearby and sat down.

"Maybe I'm thinking too much about this" Ichijou thought as he glared at Ryuuji, who was laughing at Kazuma's pathetic appearance.


	36. Sidestory - Tainted Waters (Part 3)

"So then, I assume that we've come to an agreement?" Tadagatsu Sakai said as he eyed his guest suspiciously.

"Not quite…" the cloaked figure spoke quietly. "We would like to ask for a small demonstration of Musashi's strengths as a sign of good faith. To make sure that your forces aren't completely incompetent…"

Tadagatsu laughed. "Why not just come out and say it? You want to make sure that we're not taking advantage of your strengths."

The cloaked figure chuckled as he started to lean back against his seat. "Very well, I'll say it. Your forces appear to be weak, therefore we'd like to make sure you're not using us to 'cheat' shall we say?"

"Fair enough" Tadagatsu started to brush his chin as he smiled. "Musashi herself may not seem very impressive, but I assure you that my students are quite capable of matching your own forces, if not maybe better…"

The cloaked figure stood up and went near the window. As he turned to face Tadagatsu, he held a small piece of metal with a button on it.

"Well then," he said as he pressed the button. "Let the test begin…"

* * *

There was a small beeping sound as Horizon appeared with a notepad to take their order. Ryuuji reached into his pocket and took out something that resembled a blinking transmitter.

"Man oh man…" he sighed. "Guess it's not going to be this simple after all…"

He stood up as he scratched the back of his head, and turned to the other two with a serious glance. Jake and Kazuma responded in kind and also got to their feet as the three of them left the building silently. Ichijou grew more suspicious as he followed them outside. The trio turned to face the young swordsman, who sensed a thicker, more bloodthirsty aura than earlier.

"I'm really sorry about this Ichijou, but it looks like we're gonna have to play rough for a bit." Ryuuji answered as he placed his hands in his pockets. "Don't hate us for what happens next…" the boy with red highlights said as he held a hand up in an apologetic gesture.

At the same time, Jake and Kazuma both charge towards the young swordsman with a knife and gauntlet respectively. Ichijou quickly drew his blade and parried each attack as he swiftly moved past the two and charged at Ryuuji. There was a loud clang as Ichijou tried to push back his target, who suddenly held a sheathed katana in his hand. Ryuuji was grinning as he held his place with ease, frustrating Ichijou all the more. He started swinging his blade in a whirlwind motion, but the attacks were all easily dodged as Ryuuji drew closer and closer. Ichijou was about to swing once more when he suddenly recalled the other two, and leapt to the top of the roof of a nearby building, just barely dodging a sudden assault. He was running out of breath, and decided to try and make a temporary retreat as he started to run away from the battle. However, the trio quickly followed, closing the distance between them at an inhumane pace. Despite the swordsman's best efforts, he knew that it was hopeless to try and escape. Just when he was about to give up, a voice was heard from below.

"Brace yourself Ichijou!"

A small spherical-shaped object suddenly flew into the air as Ichijou turned and held his arms to cover his face. There was a small click as a sudden pressure of air exploded from the object, effectively creating a wall that widened the distance between him and his pursuers.

"Man, guess you could say that was a real 'blast'. Get it?"

Ichijou ignored the poor joke, and turned to the blonde-haired youth who started walking next to him.

"Save it Hituro, we need to be serious about the battle right now…" Ichijou ordered as he tried to recover as much energy as possible.

"Yeah yeah, I know that we need to get serious if you're having trouble…" Hituro replied as he brought his arms up casually. He glared at the trio who returned the serious look with one of their own.

"Man oh man, so we'll need to take down two of you?" Ryuuji questioned as he brought his hand to his head in annoyance.

"Count again!" Another voice shouted out as a young girl with long violet hair styled in a pony tail suddenly came from below and landed near the Ichijou and Hituro before pointing a finger at the trio.

"Ayumi's here to take care of you troublemakers!"

There was a small muttering as another figure slowly appeared

"…_**And with the aid of the winds, he was able to reach his destination with ease**_…"

A young boy with glasses and brown hair gently landed from the sky while typing on a virtual keyboard.

"Toussaint Neshinbara, at your service!"

A young girl with silver hair styled in a "drill"-like fashion also appeared from below and landed next to the rest of the group.

"Nate Mitotsudaira, ready to serve!"

Ichijou finally stood up tall as he sliced the air nearby and pointed his blade at Ryuuji.

"I don't know what you're trying to do here…" he started to shout as he gave a piercing stare. "But we'll make sure to stop each of you before you can even start!"

* * *

**_Yeah, this chapter was short, but that's because I was going to start the battles in the beginning of the next chapter, so sorry if this was disappointing..._**


	37. Sidestory - Tainted Waters (Part 4)

_**Here's the next chapter of "Tainted Waters" that mostly focuses on action scenes. In a way, I guess this is kinda like practice for the whole "Grand war" thing, so I'd really appreciate it if you guys can really pick at anything about my fight scenes to help me improve. Anyways, enjoy...**_

* * *

"Man oh man, this is getting even more troublesome…" Ryuuji scratched his head as his sheathed katana rested against his shoulder. Jake started playing catch with his own knife while calmly looking at the recently formed group. Kazuma was flexing his hand in the single Gauntlet on his right arm as he looked away from the others, paying little attention to his surroundings at the moment. Despite the difference in numbers, the trio didn't seem to be even the least bit disturbed.

"I should probably tell you what's….." Ichijou began before Neshinbara and Ayumi brought their hands up simultaneously to stop him.

"It's fine, I wanted to settle something with this group anyways…" Neshinbara spoke as he grinned.

"Oh? You know someone here too?" Ayumi questioned as she shifted her eyes towards the novelist.

"Sort of…"

Ichijou turned to each of his friends and closed his eyes.

"Fine. Ayumi and Nate, you both take one of them on. Neshinbara and Hituro, take another. I'll take the guy in the middle by myself…"

"Judge…" the four replied as they each aimed for a target. There was a sound of swift movement as all but two figures disappeared from the area, leaving the wind to blow between them.

"Well then," Ichijou began as he held his blade up while taking a stance. "I guess you couldn't really be trusted after all…"

"That's hurts Ichijou-kun!" Ryuuji smiled as he held up his own weapon that was still in its sheath. "I was seriously trying to be friendly back there…"

"Then why the sudden attack?"

"It's our orders. Nothing personal, really…"

"Tch!" Ichijou clicked his tongue before charging as swiftly as he could towards the swordsman with red highlights. Ryuuji had set a defensive position as he prepared for the sudden clash…

* * *

Ayumi and Nate both stood near a forest as their target quickly arrived with a big smile on his face.

"I knew there was something funny about you when we first met…" Ayumi declared as she suddenly pointed her finger at the dark-skinned man with spiky black hair. "And it wasn't because you suck at flirting!"

Jake smiled as he reached behind to grab another knife from the back of his waist. "Then at least let me give you my name. Jake Reynolds of 'DarkWater'. My specialty is womanizing, wolves, and…." He raised his arm as he held his knives pointed outward while crossing his arms. "..Close Quarter Combat." He gave a piercing stare with his eyes, as he started to survey the battlefield carefully.

Ayumi brought out a katana as she cautiously eyed her opponent. Nate brought out her _Argentées Chaînes _in preparation for any incoming attack. The wind blew silently through the area as each of them waited for someone to make the first move. Sweat started to form on Nate's head as she felt the thickness and tension of the air with her heightened senses. As she started to breathe deeply to calm herself, she smelled something that made her eyes widen as her instincts suddenly started to shout "DANGER! DANGER! THIS MAN IS DANGEROUS!" Jake must have noticed Nate's sudden distraction since he swiftly dashed towards her with his knife stretched out to kill. Ayumi moved in front of Nate to block the incoming attack with her blade. As both weapons started to screech on contact, Nate regained her senses and launched one of her chains to trap Jake. The dark-skinned man leapt back as Ayumi quickly knocked away the throwing spikes he secretly launched during his retreat. He started to circle the pair as Nate used her chains to chase after him. He skillfully weaved his way around the bindings of the half-werewolf without dropping his speed. Ayumi waited patiently for the next opportunity to strike as Nate calmly tried to keep her cool while continuing her assault. After a few minutes, Jake dashed towards the pair while blocking all incoming attacks from_ Argentées Chaînes._ Closing the distance between them by only a couple feet, he dropped the knife in his right hand and clenched the chain as tightly as he could.

"_Nice try_!" Nate thought as she smiled. "_**Argentées Chaînes**!_"

The chain, as if alive, swiftly wrapped itself around Jake's arm and tightened its hold around his wrist. The Knight pulled to prevent any loose ends while Ayumi started to run up to him with her blade pointed for a lunging-type assault. However their opponent was still quite agile and swiftly ducked right before Ayumi made her attack while cutting her hair a bit with his knife. As she turned around in surprise, she came to a sudden realization. She bit her lip in frustration as her anger started to rise. However, she was able to keep calm and stared at him before opening her mouth.

"Damn you, cocky bastard! Why the hell are you going easy on us?!" She shouted.

Nate looked at her in surprise as Jake just gave a smug look. "W-What do you mean?" the Knight asked as she was slightly unnerved by Ayumi's question.

"This bastard isn't taking us seriously."Ayumi grudgingly replied. "Actually, I don't think he's been serious in the first place." She pointed at the knife that was in his left hand while glaring at him. "I thought it was a bit weird that we couldn't even scratch the guy with any of our moves, but it was stranger that he didn't even use that knife of his to its full potential. Think about it Nate, if he could perceive all our attacks so easily, why didn't he just throw his knives at either of us?"

Nate was slightly shocked as she realized the truth behind Ayumi's words. It was true that he had many chances to attack them at a long-range, and even if he was a close-combat type, his technique with his knives had proven that he was more than capable of using them skillfully as a projectile. So why didn't he do so before?

"When he had sliced my hair off, it was just within range of my neck. The fact that he didn't even touch my skin meant that this bastard was just showing off." She subconsciously brought her hand to her neck as sweat began to form on her hands. "He could've killed me then and there, but he didn't….WHY THE HELL ARE YOU TOYING WITH US?!" she shouted angrily as Jake continued to give his smug look before answering.

"First, because the orders were to test your abilities first. We're not supposed to necessarily kill anyone. Well, that is unless there's a good reason…" Jake brought his hands up to his sides. "The other reason, well it's because I don't really want to kill women unless they're part of the job. Messing up skin and hair too much isn't exactly sexy…"

Ayumi scowled for two reasons. The first was because of his smug look that just pissed her off. The second was because of the truth to his words. If they were guys, he wasn't a womanizer(no matter how poorly), or if he wasn't even ordered to, they wouldn't have gotten off so easily as they did right now. She took several deep breaths before steeling her mind and looking up at the sky. After a few minutes passed, she started to whisper into Nate's ear. The two nodded at each other, and Ayumi brought out another katana as she took another stance.

"Let me give you a bit of advice as 'thanks' for your 'kindness'." Her eyes sharpened as she started to give off a more threatening aura. "Take this battle more seriously, or we can't guarantee your life anymore…"

* * *

Hituro and Neshinbara landed at an abandoned area as their opponent also landed with a hand on the ground, and slowly rising like he was suddenly summoned to the battlefield in an anime. He suddenly made a strange pose as he started to shout.

"Like a gust of wind, Heroic Spirit Kazuma Kagare had arrived!"

There was silence as the two classmates just stared without any interest.

"Hey…" Hituro began. "Didn't we end up with a real moron here?"

"Yeah, it looks like we got the short end of the stick" Neshinbara agreed as he pushed up his glasses.

Kazuma started to stand normally, and sighed. "You guys don't really have any sense of humor, do you?" He shook his head as he continued to complain about his situation. "Man, I think I like Toori a whole lot better than either of you guys. But then orders are orders, and I can tell he's not much of a fighter…" He suddenly laughed. "But then, neither of you seem that strong either…"

Hituro and Neshinbara felt something snap as they started to lose patience with their target. They both sighed as they tried to regain their composure and nodded to each other to signal the plan. Turning back to Kazuma, who was watching with interest, Neshinbara brought out his keyboard while Hituro brought out a dual-bladed sword about 3-meters long.

"Looks like I'm going to need to 'power-up' for this…" Kazuma mumbled to himself as he took a fighting stance.

Neshinbara quickly typed something on the screen as he mumbled out his manuscript. "**_Suddenly, fire rained down on the fool, extinguishing itself before burning the ground_**." Just then, fireballs appeared, targeting Kazuma. He turned to look and casually waved his right arm as the flames appeared to have mysteriously died out sooner than expected. The young novelist was surprised, but quickly typed up another sentence to retaliate. "_**And as if from mother nature herself, a torrential storm blew into the area, disrupting the fool from his movements…**_" A small cluster of storm clouds gathered above Kazuma, creating a downpour mixed with a twister that surrounded the blonde-brown haired man. "_**And as swift as the wind, the man grew closer to the fool…**_" The novelist quickly typed as he sped just outside the storm that trapped his opponent. However, he felt a strong impact on his stomach as he was suddenly pushed back a few feet. He gagged as he felt his stomach bruise from the sudden attack, and looked up to see Kazuma with his leg stretched out in the air and the storm suddenly dispersed into the air. Despite his surprise, Neshinbara grinned as Kazuma stared with a confused look before suddenly turning around and barely dodging a sudden attack from Hituro, who quickly turned to make a second strike with his blade. However Kazuma performed a backflip and landed a few feet away while sliding a bit on the wet floor.

"Something's wrong," Hituro said after returning to Neshinbara's side. "Even if he could read our moves, he should've ended up with at least one scratch. Any ideas?"

"Well, I think there was a Filipino-style martial art called "Sayaw ng kamatayan" that seemed to match his fighting style." Neshinbara began to explain.

"'Sayaw ng kamatayan'….'dance of death'?"

"Yeah, or 'Yaw-Yan' for short. It's basically a style where those who master it are said to have very nimble bodies. Also, the fact that he's using his legs and feet more than his arms means that he's focused on speed and agility instead of strength and immediate defense."

"So basically, the guy's like the wind…"

"I guess, but there's something bothering me…." Neshinbara thought back to his attacks and how they were ineffective at his target. He came to a sudden realization as he whispered something to Hituro, who nodded and held his blade up in preparation. Kazuma noticed their determination, and started to dash as quickly as he could towards the pair. They suddenly sped off in opposite directions, forcing him to stop and look around quickly, confused on which one to target first. When they were directly opposite of each other, they simultaneously ran towards each other at the same speed. Kazuma has about to leap when he felt something at his feet. He looked down to see his feet sunk into the ground.

"**_As if for revenge, Mother nature had bound the fool's feet with her embrace_**." The novelist muttered as he continued to type for the finishing blow. "**_And with her blessing, the two men received the ability to carry out her justice in her stead!_**" Neshinbara and Hituro were both covered in a orange-brown glow as their bodies suddenly felt lighter, yet stronger. The novelist started to throw a punch as the blonde youth with sapphire sharp eyes started to swing his blade. Kazuma looked at each of them before closing his eyes…


	38. Sidestory - Hot Spring Hijinks (Part 1)

_**It's really been a while since I've made an update on this. I'd really like to apologize for this guys. I'm try to make each chapter seem equally great, but some parts are just kinda boring in my opinion, so I'm kinda straining on ideas.**_

_**Some of you'd probably think at this point, "Why the hot springs all of a sudden?" or something like that. Well to be honest, I've kinda hit a wall on the whole "Tainted water" thing, so just think of this like an "intermission" of sorts while I try to get some ideas. It might get confusing, and I apologize for that. But I didn't want to just delay the whole thing for like 3 months or so (at least not unless I'm completly stuck), so I've decided to at least give you all something you might enjoy.**_

_**One more thing. This takes place after the arc in England, so "Bloody Mary" will be included in this arc.**_

_**Anyways, here's the first part of the "Hot Spring sidestory" (Note: The "outside room" is based off a regular onsen in japan, in case you guys want some kind of reference of what I was picturing)**_

* * *

**Hot Spring Hijinks**

Night had fallen over Musashi as the full moon began to glow brightly in the sky. It was quite late, so a little less than half of all the residents had gone to bed. However, there was a bit of a stir elsewhere at Musashi's public Hot Springs as the Class of Plum-3 were relaxing after a long day. The men and women were each separated into different sections, by a single wall of bamboo, reinforced by a spell placed by the staff to prevent any "trouble".

Asama, Kimi, Ayumi, and Horizon sat together in the middle of the spring, talking among themselves about trivial things such as music, love, and their lessons in class. Nate, Adelle, Miriam, Mary, and Kuina all sat at the area furthest from the entrance, leaning against the wall and letting the warmth of the spring soak into their bodies. Suzu, Malga, Margot, Heidi, and Naomasa all sat in front of a mirror and started to scrub themselves clean before getting in.

"Hmmm…" Malga started to groan to herself as she watched her classmates relaxing throughout the area. Despite the serious look on her face, her cheeks started to turn red as she started shifting her eyes from one body to the next. "This is terrible…."

"Something wrong Ga-chan?" Margot asked as she watched her partner mumble to herself.

"Yeah…" the black-winged angel replied as she crossed her arms. "You know how people say the phrase 'Too much of a good thing'? I think I finally understand what that phrase really means…"

"What do you mean?"

"Just look!" She pointed her finger at Asama before quickly moving to Kimi, Ayumi, Kuina, Horizon, and Naomasa respectively. "Don't you see?!" She started to scratch her head furiously in frustration. "We've got so much stuff to work with here, but I can't tell what I should start with!"

Suzu turned her head to the two angels with a curious look on her face. "U-Ummm….w-what do you mean by 'stuff to work with'?"

Malga quickly turned her head to Suzu and moved closely to the timid purple-haired girl, frightening her slightly from the sudden movement. "I'm talking about my work here. I can already imagine over a hundred and twenty-six different kinds of positions I can use in my next book, but I don't know where to start…."

"Positions?" Suzu asked in an innocent tone. Malga gave a smile as she started to answer.

"Of course, I'm talking about se….." she couldn't finish her sentence as water was suddenly pelted at her with an incredible force. Asama was nearby, holding a bucket and pretending not to notice as she turned around to get back into the water.

"Ga-chan! Are you alright?" Margot glided over to check for any injuries as Malga was face flat on the pavement. Suddenly, the dark-winged angel got up as if nothing happened as she started to mumble to herself.

"That sudden attack just gave me eight more ideas, I wonder if we could…."

As the light-winged angel attempted to get her partner's attention, Kimi started walking over to Suzu and whispered something into her ear that made her turn beet red and cry a bit. The elder sister with the large bust chuckled as she went next to Asama and sat down. The priestess sighed before taking a quick look around.

"Isn't Sensei supposed to be here too?" She asked, referring to their teacher, Makiko, who was known as "The Amazon" for her wild personality and harsh punishments.

"She said she wanted to get a drink before coming into the hot springs." Ayumi answered. "But I think we all know she's not going to be coming by anytime soon…"

Asama sighed as she thought about their teacher's drinking habits and how bad things might end up if she was left alone. "I'd better go check on her!" she decided after suddenly standing up. Suddenly, there was a click and a flash as Heidi appeared holding what appeared to be a waterproof camera in her hands.

"Nice shot!" The cheerful girl smiled. "Next, can you try to doing a sexier pose?"

It took a few minutes for Asama to realize what was going on, and she suddenly crouched while trying to cover herself with her arms. There were still snaps and flashes as Heidi continued to take pictures without hesitation. Several of the girls were surprised and embarrassed at the smiling blonde's actions, whereas others didn't really seem to care much about being printed naked to the public eye (Kimi had actually posed several times with a proud smile). After a lot of flashing and screaming, the young paparazzi was tied up and left at a corner with the same happy smile on her face that she always wore. Asama was breathing heavily as she started to feel more stressed instead of relaxed. Most of the others had nervous laughs while the rest just sat in silence.

"Anyways, isn't Makiko-sensei with Masazumi and Futayo?" Adelle asked, turning to the others.

"Yeah," Naomasa replied. "They decided to make sure she got home safely before joining us here. But to be honest, I don't know whether it's more dangerous over there or staying here…"

"What do you mean?"

"Obviously, I'm talking about going against 'The Amazon', or taking a risk against the wolves there" she pointed to the wall that separated the men and women as everyone nodded in agreement...

* * *

"Haaa….sounds like the girls are all enjoying themselves…" Kiyonara was sitting against the wall while listening in and chuckling to himself.

Kazu and Ichijou were sitting together at the other end of the hot spring, letting their fatigue melt away while enjoying the night sky. Tenzo was washing himself while Azuma was doing the same nearby. Ginji, Persona, Nenji, Shirojiro, and Noriki, were relaxing together, but at a different area of the spring. Hituro and Neshinbara were talking together while sitting at a stone bench nearby. Tori, who suddenly appeared in the middle of the spring, tried to gather everyone's attention.

"Ahem, now then…" Tori began with a serious tone in his voice. "Let's begin operation 'Miracle Garden'!" He pointed at Neshinbara while keeping as straight a face as possible. "Toussant! Let's go over the plan!"

The young author sighed as he pushed his glasses closer to his face. "And what exactly is this plan supposed to be?" he asked while making a face that said he had no idea what was going on. It was another one of the chancellor's moments when he would just blurt out something seemingly random to the class. Everyone was used to it by now, but they decided to humor him and act interested.

"Of course!" The young chancellor smiled as he held his hands on his waist. "The plan to peek into the girl's side!"

Despite his enthusiasm, there was a moment of absolute silence before Tori spoke up again.

"Eh? Why isn't anybody saying anything?"

"Because," Shirojiro began. "There's no benefit to this 'plan' that you've decided on. You understand that nearly all the women in our class are too dangerous for us to do something as stupid as peeking?"

Tenzo joined in, speaking in a voice that was more serious than usual. "Also, some of us have women whom we consider important in our lives, therefore it would be disrespectful to simply peek at other women." Suddenly, he gave a thumbs up. "We must be sure to know where each girl is before taking action!"

There were several sighs as the men realized that even after all that happened, the perverted ninja didn't change much. Toori returned with a thumbs up of his own as he continued his speech.

"Listen guys, We'll never know when we'll get a chance to enjoy ourselves. Every battle in the future might be someone's last. The fact is that we'll never know how long our journey will last, or whether we'll even be able to relax like this together." He gave an honest smile as he went on. "I want to make sure that we'll never regret anything in the future. I want to make sure that if we die, we should at least die with a smile on our face.

Several people smiled as they heard Toori in one of his rare respectable moments.

"That's why," The chancellor's face suddenly turned into a joke as he made a giant leap. "We need to all work together to watch the girls!"

There was a loud smack as several guys punched Toori at the same time, sending him soaring high into the sky.

"I'd have to admit though," Kiyonari began as the naked chancellor crashed back onto the ship. "We should take the opportunity while we have the chance. After all….just think of all the beauty that awaits in the garden over the wall…." The armored dragoon tried to wipe his mouth while imagining the scenery.

"I'm not sure about seeing naked bodies, except for maybe a couple angels…" Hituro began while blushing. "But it sounds like it'd be kinda fun! Let's do it!"

"How pointless, there's nothing we can gain by doing this…" Shirojiro scoffed as he started to leave.

Toori (who suddenly reappeared with little damage) turned to Neshinbara with a curious look.

"Hey Toussant, just exactly how much money does an ero-book make?"

Neshinbara sighed, going along with the chancellor's plan and scrolling through his research.

"Well, it looks like the average you can make is about 12 to 13 thousand, depending on the quality of the pictures and such. If you ask me, it's still a bad idea to try this just for some money…."

"Let's go!" Shirojiro's eyes were gleaming as a he turned and brought out a camera. (Everyone agreed to avoid asking where he had it in the first place).

"Make sure you find out where each girl is at before starting." Ginji, the self-proclaimed lolicon, demanded. "I refuse to see anyone who's way too old for me"

"I'm not really picky about the details," Kiyonari announced. "But if I get a chance to see the 'older-sister' type girls, well then…" the half-dragon began to salivate from his mouth from his imagination.

As the heated discussion intensified, Neshinbara started to look around. "Where's Shirokage? Isn't it a bit late to be working right now?"

"He said he wasn't really interested in going to the hot springs with the rest of us, so he volunteered to make sure Sensei didn't do anything stupid while she went drinking." Hituro explained with an uninterested tone.

Hearing the news flash, Toori started to go into thought. "Tsukasa and Sensei, huh? If she's going to be drinking, and the two of them are alone together…." Something started to rise both inside, and outside of his mind.

"Seijun and Futayo are with them. They said they were going to help him out since she could be a handful at times." Hituro continued. "They also told us they'd come by later, so that's not really an issue. Besides, I don't really think he's got a thing for any of the girls here."

Several of the guys nodded, but Toori continued to go deeper into thought. "Seijun and Futayo…that means…so then…." He didn't appear to hear them much, and was mumbling to himself. Hituro's eyes were half-shut as he watched the chancellor make his perverted thoughts known.

"Just don't mention any of this to them…" he pointed to Kazu and Ichijou, who were sitting together quietly, ignoring the group's discussion. "They might kill you if you even joke about this too much…"

* * *

"ACHOO!" Tsukasa sneezed suddenly while walking along the street. Masazumi and Futayo were walking next to him; however the politician took a step back from her classmate to avoid any germs.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he sniffed. "Probably just the guys talking about me for some reason. They're always a handful…"

Masazumi gave a chuckle, understanding just how true those words were. "Still, it's kind of cold out; maybe you should join everyone else at the hot springs."

"No, I'd rather not get involved with them right now." Tsukasa gave a small sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Besides, I need to do something else before I head back…"

"Hm?" She briefly wondered what he meant by "something else" and tried to study his face for any answers. He noticed her starting, and gave a calm smile. "Sorry, I'm not really interested in having any relationships. Especially with people who already have someone else in their lives." He joked.

Her face turned red as she struggled to get words out of her mouth. "W-What the hell are you saying?! I don't really think of you in that way!"

"'That way'?" Futayo tilted her head as she stared at one face, then the other with a curious look. Tsukasa gave a slight cough. "Nothing you really need to understand…" He started to look up towards the night sky. "Anyways, thanks for offering to help with Oriotorai-sensei, it's troublesome to keep her out of trouble while she's drunk…"

"She's supposed to be our teacher, one of the fearsome warriors in Musashi, and yet…" The politician smacked her head in exhaustion. "…she's even more troubling than our whole class. Especially after taking in all that alcohol…"

They all reached the crossroads before separating. Masazumi turned to face her classmate.

"We'll be joining the others now, are you sure you won't come by?"

"Yeah, I have some other business to take care of, so it's probably better if I don't join up with everyone this time…" He turns away from the two women and casually waves a goodbye as he makes his exit. Masazumi and Futayo both turn around and head towards the hot spring.

"Masazumi," Futayo started to ask. "What exactly did you mean earlier by 'that way'?"

"Um, well…" Masazumi paused for a bit as she started to recall that evening when Kazu kissed her. Smoke started to rise from her head as Futayo suddenly placed her own hand on her forehead and checked her temperature.

"Are you feeling unwell? Perhaps it would be best if you decided to stay home today?"

Masazumi waved her hands wildly. "No no! I'm…er…well I'll be fine…" She replied nervously. "We can't really do this kind of thing every day, so we should try to make sure to go while we have the chance!"

Although skeptical at first, the warrior agreed. The two continued towards the hot spring, expecting the calm, relaxing evening to wash their stress away…

* * *

"Sounds like there's a heated discussion over at the guy's side…." Naomasa closed her eyes as she sank a bit deeper into the water. There was a large jumble of noise on the other side, and most people were already used to the crazy things that happen in their everyday lives. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Probably peeking into our side." Malga answered nonchalauntly. "The chancellor is with them after all…"

Several girls nodded in agreement.

"Well then, maybe we should give them an unforgettable experience?" Kimi asked while standing tall and smiling.

* * *

"Before we go peek into the girl's side, there's something else we need to do…" Neshinbara stated.

"Shiro's already got the cameras with him," Ginji pointed out. "What else do we need?"

"I mean that we need to plan out our 'attack'"

"Isn't it fine? I mean it's not like it's a big problem if we get caught, right?"

"No, if we're going to do this, we'll need to make sure that we get ourselves as prepared for any situation. The more we plan out, the greater our own chances of surviving."

"How so?"

"It goes without saying that we're going to be caught at some point. But even if we toss Aoi over as a distraction, our chances of getting away with this are pretty slim."

Everyone nodded in agreement. As Tori began to comprehend the last few words spoken.

"EHHHH?!"

"That's why," Neshinbara continued while ignoring the scream. "We'll need someone to stay behind and watch how things go. He can plan out the next move based on clusters, sneak attacks, and any other factors that can affect the success rate."

"Um, we are still talking about peeking, right?" Tenzo questioned. However, the novelist continued with his explanation.

"I'll need to stay since my abilities aren't exactly the best choice for this 'mission'." He proclaimed. "_Also, it gives me an excuse to stay as far from the danger as possible…"_

Hituro gave his friend a slap on the back while smiling. "Don't worry, I'll try to make sure to go heavy into the details when I get back!" Neshinbara gave a small uncomfortable laugh, not expecting much from his friend's claim.

"Anyways, I guess we can start by…"

"Hold it…"

The group turned to see Kazu looking over them with an overbearing gaze.

"Yo, Kazu!" Tori greeted cheerfully.

The scarred youth **sighed** before glancing around with an unamused look on his face. "Do I want to know why you're all gathered around like this?"

"C'mon Kazu, it's a guy thing!" Tori said in a defending tone. Don't tell me the thought never crossed your mind…"

"Actually no, it never had…"

"Well since you know, why don't you join us?" The perverted boy started to cling onto his classmates arm. Kazu gave a look of slight disgust before throwing him to the far end of the spring.

"It sounds really stupid…" He declared as he turned to walk away.

"Guess you're not a real man then!" Hituro spoke mockingly.

Kazu stopped in place. Hituro grinned as he started to take things further.

"I mean, I guess you've gotta be impotent, gay, or a bigger moron than Aoi to just ignore an opportunity to show off your manliness." He shakes his head in disappointment. "In that case, maybe it's better to just leave you alone."

Anger marks began to appear on Kazu's head as his anger became more obvious. He turned around while smiling, but his eyes were twitching as he glared. "Fine then, how about I show you just how 'impotent' I really am…"

Tori, who's excitement grew to maximum levels, quickly recovered and raised a fist into the air. "Well then, let's go venture into the wondrous land of boobies and thighs!"

Several people cheered as Neshinbara sighed. "So much for relaxing…"

* * *

_**I might start working on something else for a change of pace. But don't worry, I don't plan on putting this fanfic on hiatus anytime soon.**_


	39. Sidestory - Hot Spring Hijinks (Part 2)

**_Sorry for the delay. Here's part 2, and sorry if things get a bit confusing..._**

* * *

The guys were separated into two different groups. Group A consisted of Tori, Hituro, Kazu, and Shirojiro, while Group B consisted of Tenzo, Kiyonari, Nenji, Ginji, and Azuma.

"Um, why exactly am I doing this?" Azuma asked.

"The other group already has Tori, so you needed to join our group to make things fair"

"Huh?" Before the young boy could get a reply, Neshinbara had gathered everyone into a circle.

"Ok guys, you know what to do…"

"_The key in this first move will be location. If we're going to minimize the number of casualties, we need to know where each person is at the other side. However, we can't expect someone to just peek over and escape undamaged. That's why we need to do something else…"_

"Remember guys, I don't know how this will turn out, so make sure you each have your own escape route just in case something goes wrong…" A screen projected in front of him signaling the start. "Alright Tori, you ready?"

"Ready for w…" Before he could finish his question, Tori was suddenly grabbed by Hituro and thrown over the fence and into the girl's side. There was a scream and many sounds of something hitting something else. Buckets echoed, shots were heard, and several slashes cried in the air before Tori was thrown back with too many injuries.

"So Tori," Hituro whispered to the weakened chancellor. "What was it like in there?"

Tori struggled to raise his hand, and gave a sudden thumbs up. "It was…paradise…." He whispered before fainting. His unconscious body was rested against a fence on the boy's side as Hituro, Kiyonari, and Tenzo made a salute to his "death".

"Farewell Tori," Tenzo said as the stars seemed to shine brighter at that moment. "Your sacrifice shall not be in vain…"

Neshinbara started to type something onto his virtual screen as something replaced the assortment of words. An overhead view of the girl's side of the springs appeared with profile pictures of each girl that signaled their location.

"Step one completed…."

"_If we're going to get anywhere with this plan, we need to start out by making sure we know each person's location. That's why we need to send this into the sky…" The novelist held up a small object that resembled a mini satellite. "It's a special camera I originally made to scout out enemy territory, but right now it's frequency is only set to 'allies'." He pushed his glasses up as he continued. "This way, we'll be able to see who's who and where they are."_

"_I see, so we minimize the number of casualties by keeping track of the more dangerous targets." Shirojiro said as he gazed at the small contraption._

"_Right. The problem is that if we just throw this thing up right now, there's bound to be someone who would see it and take it down. Therefore, we need to set up a distraction…" He turned his head to Tori, who looked back curiously._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_Anyways, here's what we'll do…"_

"I kinda feel bad for using Tori as a decoy like that." Ginji said, looking at him uncomfortably.

"Well, he was going to end up on the other side in one way or another, it was better the just get it over with." Neshinbara finished typing and crossed his arms to study the screen. He made the occasional gestures and movements that a strategist made while making plans before turning around.

"Alright guys, here's the next step…"

* * *

"Hmmm, sounds like they've already started their 'attack'." Kimi smiled. "I wonder what they're planning to do now…" She turned around to see most of the girls red-faced and embarrassed while breathing heavily. "My, what's the matter here?"

"Kimi…" Asama began. "Aren't you embarrassed that Tori flew in here naked?"

"Not really…" she shook her head and answered in a "matter-of-fact" way. "After all, he's my foolish brother; we've already seen each other completely naked in the past, so why should it bother me now?"

Asama sighed before regaining composure. "Still, it's pretty strange that they tossed him over instead of having him sneak around…"

"Well it's Tori we're talking about, it was probably better for them to just make sure he was taken out as early as possible."

"I guess so…"

"But this would go much smoother if we just have Suzu listen in for us…" Kimi crossed her arms to support her bust while smiling.

"No! Suzu shouldn't be listening to such inappropriate things."

"Fine, fine. Guess we'll just need to do this the hard way…"

Just then, Nate held up her hand as she started to listen intently.

"Something's outside…" Using her chains, she started attacking the area right outside the fence. Smoke started to gather in the area until she stopped. After things started to settle down, she started to listen intently again for any intruders, but nothing stood out.

"Guess it was my mistake…"

* * *

"That was too close!"

Smoke rose from the recently made holes in the ground as Tenzo backed up as far as he could. Several of the guys quivered as they saw what could've been their own death. However, they quickly recovered and started to sneak further through the forest. Neshinbara watched on the screen while crossing his arms.

"Remember guys, the winds seem to be blowing into the forest, so Nate's sense of smell isn't a problem right now. But she can still hear you, so make sure you try to keep as quiet as possible…"

The word "Judge" appeared on the screen over each of the guys, signaling that they understood. Both groups appeared to be getting closer to their assigned locations as Neshinbara started to type up Nenji's cue….

"Did you hear something?"

Margot turned around to look for the source of the noise she thought she heard, but nothing really stood out.

"I don't think I heard anything…"

"Suzu?"

"N-No…not really…."

The girls continued to look around, oblivious to the slimy substance that seemed to slither through the buckets and under the chairs unnoticed. Nenji looked around before locating his target, and slowly snuck past the girls unnoticed until he reached the steamiest part of the hot spring. He slowly went inside and started to move around beneath the surface and towards a beautiful set of legs. If he wasn't already red, the blush on his face would have been obvious as he moved closer and closer. Suddenly, there was a loud thud as something fell on top of him and divided his body into many bits and pieces.

"You think we didn't expect something like this to happen?" The legs belonged to Naomasa, who used her mechanical hand to hit Nenji, who was unconscious at this point from the unexpected assault. "Jizuri Suzaku is already in the sky measuring for anything in the area. We only pretended to know nothing about you getting in until you got close enough to capture." She activated the cleaning system which drained the water into the hole underneath and sent sucked both the water and Nenji into a hole, never to be heard from again.

* * *

Neshinbara heavily sighed as he realized how dangerous things have become.

"I didn't expect them to have 'Jizuri Suzaku' set up already, this is going to be a problem…"

He started to think about their next move. With a "God of War" mixed into this mission, it might be more trouble than it's worth. But on the other hand, it's already too far in to stop now. He glanced at each person's location before typing further instructions to the guys….

* * *

"Nenji's been beaten…"

"M-Maybe we should give up while we have the chance…"

"No, it's already too late to back out, so we can only go forward from here on out…"

A screen suddenly popped out in front of them as their strategist started to relay the next set of instructions.

_Try to get Kazu to send a faint electrical current above the springs. Jizuri Suzaku might be monitoring the area._

Group A nodded as Kazu took a few nails out of nowhere. He grabbed several long strands of loose string from his own towel and tied a strand to each nail before contracting his deity.

"Take-Mikazuchi…"

There was a slight twinge in the air as the nails gave a faint charge of electricity. Kazu slowly climbed up a tree, taking care to make sure that he didn't give away his location before tossing each nail swiftly, but carefully, in several ends of the girl's section. He finally tied the ends of each string into one more nail and silently leapt back into the ground before sticking it onto the fence in front of him. From above, the nails and string formed something like a make-shift net.

"Toussant, how's it look?"

"Looks ok. There's a faint bit of static coming from the camera, so I think it's safe to say that you've disrupted Suzaku's readings. But…."

"Something wrong?"

"We'll be going in blind from here on out. If they find this camera, they might try to hack in, so I'm going to need to get rid of it. We'll have to hope that their location doesn't change much from here on out. But for now, just stick to the plan and head towards your appointed area"

"Judge…"

* * *

"Hm?" Nate turned around with a disturbed look on her face.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, I thought there was something strange earlier, but I guess it was just my imagination…"

"I see…"

"No, there is a faint electrical current in the air that appears to be scrambling communication…" Horizon explained.

"An electrical current?"

"Judge, it appears to be meant for disrupting communications with the outside."

"Damnit…" Naomasa tried to contact her G.O.W. unit. "Suzaku. Can you hear me? Suzaku!"

As the mechanic struggled to establish some communication, the other girls gathered around for a quick discussion.

"What do you think?"

"I think Neshinbara's the one leading this assault."

"Judge. It seems much too elaborate for anyone else to think up by themselves."

"Should we just confront them right now?"

"I think that's probably the best thing to do. They won't stop otherwise…"

"No, We need to make sure that they understand just how much trouble they're in for even trying this…"

"Wasn't Tori already proof enough?"

"He's an idiot. He's always getting hit at least twice a day. It's no good to expect him to be really useful here…"

"But what if we fail?"

"What? Aren't you confident about your body?"

"Shut up! Just because you have such a nice body…."

"Well you can have a nice body too…all you need is the right 'incentive' and take the right steps…."

"Huh?"

"Obviously, I'm talking about…."

"A-Anyways, what should we do now?"

"Maybe we need to try a different approach…"

The girls just stood around thinking when the entrance suddenly opened. Masazumi and Futayo started walking by when they noticed the circle.

"What's going on?" The politician asked as the others turned around. Kimi chuckled as eyes turned mischievous.

"I think we've found our 'new approach'…"


End file.
